


Together With You

by LindyGale



Series: Being Together Forever (ChibaHaya Trilogy) [2]
Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: College, F/M, Fluff and Humor, High School, Imagine your OTP, Light Angst, Mild Smut, Slow Romance, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:20:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 42
Words: 44,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26727322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LindyGale/pseuds/LindyGale
Summary: *REVISED*The Class 3-E's top snipers are now high school students. Then, they enter college. Going to different schools, what challenges and developments are in store for them?
Relationships: Chiba Ryuunosuke & Hayami Rinka
Series: Being Together Forever (ChibaHaya Trilogy) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1938361
Comments: 52
Kudos: 37





	1. ░ 𝕀𝕟𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 ░

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚒𝚜... 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮."

◈◈◈

“What?! You broke up?!” a blue-haired girl in a ponytail cried out with her hands slamming on Hayami’s desk. 

Standing on the left was their hazel-browned classmate with a curvy figure. “Yeah. I was the one who initiated it,” she said matter-of-factly with her hand on her outthrust hip. 

The blue-haired girl looked dumbfoundedly at the school’s mature beauty. This was the girl who all the boys have been drooling over and who all the girls have been envying upon in silence. That is, all girls except for these two, Hayami and Inoue, who she has been hanging out within class. 

“B-But why? I thought he matched all of your standards?” 

After heaving out a sigh, the hazel-brown stated, “I’m getting tired with our relationship. It’s a constant cycle of fighting, then making up. Then fighting and then making up again. Honestly, it’s become a hassle.” 

Hayami flinched at the similarity of those words to her current situation, albeit not the fighting part. 

“That’s a shame,” the blur-hair uttered before flicking her gaze to the emerald-eyed girl, who was sitting down in the middle with her orange waves resting on her shoulders, “Right, Hayami?” 

Her thoughts interrupted, Hayami blinked at the blue haired girl’s dark green orbs. Then she simply nodded in reply. 

“You looked lost in your thoughts. Is something bothering you?” the hazel-brown beauty queried. 

Hayami rose on her feet, pushing the chair behind her. “I’m sorry. I have to go to my club,” she said, dismissing her friend’s question. 

Thinking that she probably needed some space for now, the two let her be. As she shuffled out of the classroom, worried stares followed her back.

As she practiced her steps for the Jazz Dance Club, Hayami mulled over her relationship with _him_ and what she was going to do about it. It’s been bothering her for weeks and she couldn’t tell if it was the same for _him._ Like what her friend had said earlier, she was also getting fed up. 

Thankfully, the other members of the club noticed her glum expression and left her alone in peace. They knew better than to try meddling with her affairs. 

After practice, Hayami rode the bus to Shibuya Station instead of walking straight to her house. Then she took the train to Meguro Station. 

_What if he was still in school?_

She thought about sending him a message first, but- _No. I’ve already made up my mind. I need to do this once and for all._

Walking on the street alone, she remembered the times when they would trek down the mountain after school in silence, which wasn’t awkward at all. Their close proximity was enough to make the moment precious for both of them. 

But that was back then. 

When the familiar three-story building had come into view, she halted her footsteps. Looking up, her eyes zeroed in on the third door of the second floor. Her clutch on her bag tightened before she started moving her feet towards the stairs. 

Every step was heavy. In each breath, she reminded herself that it would be fine. That everything would work out.

When she arrived in front of the dull-looking brown door, she lifted her finger to the doorbell.

_Ding! Dong!_

Sounds of languid footsteps resounded as the wooden floor creaked. When the door had swung open, she was greeted by a shocked expression of a tall lean boy with black fringe covering his eyes.

Her unprecedented arrival brought a lag to his brain. She had done this twice in the past and for completely different reasons – the first one was for her personal reasons and the second one was due to the knavery of her former classmates.

Before he could draw out any conclusion or even say something, she had already beaten him to the punch. With this, her words brought his mind to a full stop.

“Let’s break up,” she said in a monotone voice. 

◈◈◈


	2. ░ 𝔹ℝ𝔼𝔸𝕂𝕌ℙ 𝔸ℝℂ ░

**ＥＰＩＳＯＤＥＳ  
**

▂ ▃ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ █ ▇ ▆ ▅ ▄ ▃ ▂

**(𝟷): 𝙽𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚕**

**(𝟸): 𝙾𝚟𝚎𝚛**

**(𝟹): 𝙵𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢**

**(𝟺): 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎**

**(𝟻): 𝚂𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛**

**(𝟼): 𝙿𝚞𝚜𝚑**

**(𝟽): 𝙼𝚊𝚒𝚍  
**

**(𝟾): 𝚂𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚝**

**(𝟿): 𝙼𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎**

**(𝟷𝟶): 𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗**

**(𝟷𝟷): 𝙱𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚑𝚍𝚊𝚢**

▂ ▃ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ █ ▇ ▆ ▅ ▄ ▃ ▂


	3. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "NORMAL varies through time. You better hold on to it while it lasts."

【Ｎｏｒｍａｌ】

**－ ＡＰＲＩＬ －**   
_𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥_

_ Seven months ago... _

One month has passed since _that_ incident, and things painstakingly went back to normal. At first, it felt surreal that their teacher, a superhuman being who was actually a pervert and an easy-going fellow, was really gone. No more of his frolicking, his life-changing lessons, and his support. The only things that they could hold onto for him to stay by their side were the memories they shared with him and the bond that they forged within Class 3-E.

The students, once assassins, were now high school students in different schools to lead on their separate paths, leaving each and every one a bittersweet feeling – even for the sniper pair. While Hayami went to Kokusai High, Chiba studied at Tokyo Tech, which was a far distance from her.

After the school bell rang, Hayami went straight to the door of the classroom, not allowing any second to go to waste. When she had walked out of the entrance, making her way to the gate, she spotted a black-haired figure leaning on the wall while scrolling on his phone.

"Your boyfriend?"

She turned over her shoulder and saw Harumi Kurosawa from the same class – long hazel-brown hair and cerulean piercing eyes. Because of her mature beauty, more than a dozen guys within the school have already asked her out during the first week of this school year, which has also made her become ousted by the girls.

Hayami nodded in reply.

"I never thought that you'd have a boyfriend," said Kurosawa as she glimpsed at the boy waiting by the gate.

"That so?" Hayami followed her gaze. "Then, bye."

"Wait!" Kurosawa blurted out, grabbing her arm. She did not even know why she even started talking to her, who looked stoic and was usually quiet in class. She must have been feeling lonely with the girls avoiding her.

"What is it?" Hayami asked with a tilt of her head, her face blank.

"Nothing." She sighed as she released her grip. "You should go to your boyfriend. You look eager to see him anyway."

"That's not it.If I make him wait for too long, he will doze off. Look," Hayami stated, pointing her finger to the said _boyfriend_ , whose head was bobbing up and down.

Using her hand to shoo her away, Kurosawa said, "Then you better go before he falls to the ground."

Hayami gave her a quick nod before trotting towards the gate. Kurosawa's eyes followed her retreating back, slightly amused as she watched the couple's interaction.

 _'What a weird pair,'_ she thought. ' _What was her name again? Ha- Hatsune Rin?'_

* * *

"Chiba."

He jolted awake when he had heard her all-too-familiar voice. He turned to his left to see Hayami's face in close proximity.

_Am I dreaming?_

His question was answered when Hayami leaned away, allowing him to see his surroundings. Now he remembered. Today was Friday. He was picking her up from her school, a routine he had offered to do every other week, and he had fallen asleep while waiting for her.

"I'm sorry if I made you wait. We were dismissed late by our class adviser," she explained.

Heaving himself up from the wall, he put on a small smile and said, "It's okay. I didn't wait that long."

They began heading towards Hayami's house, which was around ten minutes from her school. They would spend this limited time just chatting and appreciating each other's presence. Although time and money were spent coming here, Chiba could not say that it was all for naught.

HAYAMI: Are you joining a club?

CHIBA: Light Music Club. You?

HAYAMI: I'll sign up for Jazz Dance Club next week, but I prefer a skiing club. It's a shame that our school doesn't have one.

CHIBA: If you are going to perform, you better tell me.

HAYAMI: Sure.

Then they talked further mostly about how their former classmates were doing as of now. They also calmly complained about the ruckus in Class 3-E's group chat. How it has become filled with their former classmates' shenanigans and whatnots although it had been once their means of tackling their studies and assassination plans.

When they had arrived, Hayami faced him as the corners of her mouth turned up. She was not going to feel dejected that they were about to separate again. In fact, they would be seeing each other again this Sunday. They planned to go to the shooting arcade center, eat out, and hang someplace else after.

Even if the assassination was over, they still wanted to continue their practice sessions to relive their moments in Class 3-E and the feeling of exhilaration as they pulled the trigger and landed a direct hit on the target.

"Thanks for accompanying me today again," said Hayami.

"Mm. See you later," Chiba uttered with a wave.

"See you." Then she opened the gate to her house before looking over her shoulder and watched him walk away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	4. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟐

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It's cowardice when you get OVER someone using someone else."

【Ｏｖｅｒ】

**－ ＦＥＢＲＵＡＲＹ －**   
_𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥_

_Three months after the breakup ..._

Chiba was not feeling to it today. Again.

A few months have already passed and yet he could not stop replaying inside his mind her words that day – when it had ended. The sunken weight inside his chest remained since then, which affected his concentration in school.

During club practice, he could not get the chords perfectly. In his final exams, although he had achieved high scores, he knew full well that was not the best that he could do.

Even Sugaya would now and then caught wind of his depressing state. There were times when Chiba was back to his normal self until he saw or heard something that reminded him of Hayami. Just by seeing a tangerine on their dining table would make him pause and call out her name.

 _Does every object bring his mind to her?_ The lanky artist had thought one time.

"You alright, man?" asked Sugaya when he had seen his raven-haired flatmate drill holes with his gaze on the hot pack in his hand after taking it out of his pocket.

Due to the distance of his school from home, Chiba had to move out and live alone near the campus. Coincidentally, Sugaya was looking for a roommate and a place to stay within the area since he was going to study in a public school there. His mother was not keen though on his career choice, so he had to move out to start becoming independent and look for a part-time job.

When he heard that Chiba had already found an apartment, he immediately called him up and asked him if he could also stay there and share the rent. Lucky for him, he had managed to find a job as a barista in a café not far off from the apartment.

Chiba snapped back to his senses and looked at Sugaya, who was on the floor drawing on the low table. "I'm okay," he replied meekly before proceeding to the built-in closet.

"You're obviously a mess right now," Sugaya pointed as he intertwined his fingers behind his head, a pen balancing between his nose and upper lip.

"I miss her," Chiba admitted while taking off his uniform.

 _Then why the hell did you two break up?_ Sugaya thought as he said, "Why don't you start seeing someone else? Maybe it'll help get your mind off her."

After pulling a t-shirt on, Chiba turned towards him. Behind that fringe, he was giving him a look of disbelief. "That is something Maehara would do," he stated.

Sugaya shrugged. "I'm just saying. It's up to you." 

* * *

It was Valentines' Day when his right seatmate, Izumi Miyamoto, walked up to his seat during the lunch period. "Chiba-kun," she began to say as her fingers fiddled on her skirt. "Can I talk to you privately? I-I have something to tell you."

She has a short stature, copper bob cut hair, and a timid personality. They never talked to each other except for a few occasions when she would ask for his help on a math problem.

He hummed in reply before standing up. He could feel some lingering stares, which he tried his best to ignore as he followed Miyamoto out of the room.

They stopped at the back of the school building with no one else around. Sensing the tense atmosphere, he gulped and kept his eyes on her.

"This is –" she pulled out a box of chocolate from her blazer "– for you."

This would be his first time receiving a _honmei_ chocolate. Not even Hayami had given her one. And yet, the thing that stuck into his mind was the chocolate bits from the previous year. Although simple and ordinary, it held more significance than that.

If they were still together now, what would she have given him?

"I like you, Chiba-kun," Izumi continued as she blushed. "So please, go out with me!" She extended her arms further until the chocolate was beneath his chin. 

_"I really respect you. Let's continue to get along from here on out."_

_"Let's break up."  
_

The words that _she_ had said came spiraling inside his head. He felt horrible thinking about someone else when this girl in front of him had been pouring out her feelings for him. He knew that he should be turning her down, but for some reason, he could not. 

_"Why don't you start seeing someone else? Maybe it'll help get your mind off her."_

He bobbed his head and said after, "OK."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	5. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟑

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Treasure that person's FAMILY as you do to that person."

【Ｆａｍｉｌｙ】

**－ ＭＡＹ －**   
_𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥_

_ Six  _ _ months _ _ before the breakup ... _

Much to Rinka's dismay, her mother has been placidly insisting to bring her 'boyfriend' to the house. And so she asked Chiba if he would be willing to visit for dinner.

When he had come over, her mother, Mrs. Hayami, threw him the usual questions such as – When did you start dating? Which school are you in? What do your parents do for a living? Do you have any siblings?

Although when they had started eating, she became quiet, which made it more nerve-wracking for him. He could not figure out what Mrs. Hayami was thinking. If only he was aware that this was just how they have their meals in the Hayami household.

Mrs. Hayami placed her chopsticks down after having her last bite. She, then, said, "Please take care of my daughter. She may be strong but –" she gazed at Rinka as her mouth curved up "– that does not mean she can handle everything herself."

"I will," he answered with a firm nod.

Afterward, they drank tea along with the dessert that Chiba had brought. When the clock had struck nine, Mrs. Hayami reminded their guest that it was time to go home.

"I'll walk you to the bus stop," Rinka presented as she accompanied him to the door. Honestly, she wanted to merely spend time with him – a luxury she did not have with her mother around earlier.

"It's already dark. It will be dangerous when you get back," he said.

"I can protect myself."

Since a peaceful walk with her sounded nice, he was considering it when he recalled Mrs. Hayami's words, a sole request to him. His expression turned soft yet concerned as he said, "I do not want to take the risk."

Upon staring at his face, she let out a sigh of defeat. "Be careful then."

He hummed and uttered, "See you later."

"See you."

* * *

When it was Hayami's turn to meet his family as his girlfriend, the encounter was livelier and without warning in contrast to his short stay at her home.

It was Ryuunosuke's birthday when she thought of coming to his apartment after school to surprise him. What she did not know was his family would also be there to celebrate his birthday.

When he had opened the door for her, her eyes fell on a small girl hanging onto his calf.

"Ryuu, do you have a guest over?" a familiar voice inside asked.

Then his mother came up behind him. Her face brightened upon seeing the orange-haired girl. "Oh, your girlfriend is here! How sweet of her to come here on your birthday," she chirped before gesturing the stunned Hayami to come in.

Unlike last time, neither of them corrected Mrs. Chiba for calling Hayami Chiba's 'girlfriend'.

The place was crowded with six people. Sugaya was also there who looked discomfiting sitting beside Ryuunosuke's father from whom Ryuunosuke had gotten most of his genes. He has the same mop of black hair and maroon-red eyes as his son. The only difference would be was his eyes were in plain sight for the whole world to see despite its intensity, which explained the uneasiness on Sugaya's face.

"Hello," Hayami greeted with a slight bow.

"It's nice to meet you, Hayami-san. Please have a seat," Mr. Chiba gestured as Mrs. Chiba began preparing the food on the low table.

Before Hayami could sit down on the cushion seat that Ryuunosuke had offered for her, his younger sister named Hitomi walked up to her, her round maroon eyes gaping up at her.

"Are you Onii-chan's girlfriend?" she asked boldly.

Hayami pursed her lips before saying, "Yes".

Clasping her hands together, Hitomi's eyes sparkled. "Does that mean that you're my onee-chan?"

Sugaya covered his mouth, stifling a laugh, while Ryuunosuke raised both arms in a tizzy. The two adults remained spectating, curious as to how their son's girlfriend would respond.

Hayami took her seat beside Ryuunosuke. "No. I will only be your sister if I marry your brother," she said casually.

Both Mrs. Chiba and Sugaya glanced at Ryuunosuke while grinning from ear-to-ear. Sugaya, then, leaned closer to Ryuunosuke. "If you guys ever get married, don't forget to invite me, alright?" he whispered.

"No one's getting married!" In spite of saying that, Ryuunosuke was still flustered that Hayami seemed oblivious to the fact that her words could connote another meaning.

When Hayami had noticed Hitomi's disheartened pout, she added, "But you can still call me 'Onee-chan' if you want."

"Yay! Onee-chan!" Hitomi cried with glee before wrapping her puny arms around Hayami's neck. 

Hayami was smiling, a small blush on her cheeks, when she turned to her onlookers and realized the attention she had gained.

After that, they sang 'Happy Birthday' followed by Ryuunosuke blowing on the candle. They ate the dishes brought by Mrs. Chiba together with the cake, per slice each.

To give the young ones their 'fun time', Mr. Chiba announced that they would be going off ahead. Hitomi started to whine as she wanted to play more with Hayami and Sugaya. She was only appeased when Hayami had told her that she could come here again if she became a 'good girl'.

When the three had seated around the table, Hayami reached for the paper bag beside her. "Here's my gift," she told Chiba as she handed it to him.

"Thanks." He started opening it when Sugaya, feeling like a third-wheel, heaved up from the floor.

"I'll buy a drink in the convenience store. Do you guys want something?" he asked.

"I'm good. I'll be going home shortly anyway," Hayami replied.

"Me too," Chiba said after pulling out a book from the bag.

When Sugaya had left, Chiba looked back at the gift – an English novel by George Orwell.

"I thought that it can help you in your English skills," Hayami explained.

"Reading books does help me a lot in grammar and vocabulary," he said as he placed the book on the table.

A short pause later, he said, "I'm sorry for the ruckus earlier."

"The atmosphere was different from my house, but it was fun," she said, a smile hovering on her lips. Then she added, "Besides, Hitomi was adorable."

"She is."

"Maybe I should marry you someday so that she can become my sister."

Totally caught off-balance, his mouth hanged open, while she giggled at his reaction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	6. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟒

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "If you miss a CHANCE, another opens up for someone else."

【Ｃｈａｎｃｅ】

**－ ＭＡＲＣＨ －**   
_𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥_

_ Four _ _ months after the breakup... _

After the breakup, Hayami was fine. She did not feel her heart crack open or her soul ripped out from her just like in those books that she had read. No tears were shed and no words were shouted. They were both calm as if they were simply chatting when in fact they were ending their relationship at that time.

It was for the better.

As she stepped out of the door of his apartment that day, she lingered there for a moment in search of any emotions that might surface. _Nothing_ – like an abyss.

One day, her mother has asked her to go out on an errand. That's why Hayami was carrying a plastic bag with the things that she was told to buy while she held a phone by her ear with her other hand.

"What are you fretting about? It's only been a week, Rio," she said over the phone.

"But I miss Japan so much!"

Beneath Nakamura's whiny tone, she was beaming as she marveled at the view of the beach from where she was standing.

"Anyway, you could've at least messaged me. You did not even check up on me ever since I arrived here in California," the blonde pointed, clearly annoyed that Hayami would be giving her the cold shoulder after she left the country for the exchange program she had applied for in the United States.

"I couldn't be bothered. I can already tell that you're doing fine from your messages in the chat," Hayami stated.

"How are things going on your end? Any developments?" Nakamura asked.

Hayami knew what her friend was asking about. It was not just about what was happening in her life. In fact, the blonde prodigy was among the few ones in Class 3-E who did not need to be told of everyone's recent events to become updated.

She wanted to know how Hayami was feeling right now. Months after the _breakup._

"As I said, I'm doing –" Hayami was stopped short when out of the corner of her eye, she saw a girl with short hair pulling a black-haired boyinto the café.

_'Is he on a date? Did he find someone else already?'_

She was not mistaken. That was definitely Chiba – his hair, his built, and his hidden eyes.

"Hey, Rinka. What happened? Why did you suddenly stop?"

With a blink of her eyes, Hayami snapped back to her senses. "I'm fine," she uttered quickly as she continued walking.

"What?"

Her feet were once again frozen on the ground. She swallowed when her eyes had started to become misty.

"I said I'm fine," she repeated over the phone, her voice muffled.

Tears were already flowing on her cheeks, even after resisting so hard, when Nakamura said, "Rinka, what happened? You don't sound fine at all."

 _'What the hell is happening to me?'_ Hayami asked herself, hating how she was attracting stares right now.

She hid in an alley and put the plastic bag down. Harshly wiping her tears with her bare fist, she told her friend, "I'm sorry. Call me again later." Before she could hear her response, she ended the call.

She let out a breath, placing a hand on her left chest, as she tried to calm herself down.

_'Turns out, I'm not okay.'_

When the pain inside her had finally subsided, it was time to return to the sidewalk. There she saw a shooting arcade center, the one that they had been going to during their weekend dates.

She was about to step inside when she heard a click and a flash. Turning to where it had come from, she found herself staring at Okajima, who was holding a camera.

"Long time no see, Hayami," he said.

Then he looked at the photo that he had captured and his smile disappeared. He tilted his chin up, eyes staring at her. "Are you alright? You seemed –" her eyes were red and swollen, and her features were glum in the picture "– hurt."

Folding her arms across her chest, she answered, "I'm fine."

He was not convinced. He turned to the building that she was gawking at earlier. It brought him memories of their firearms training back in junior high.

"Are you going to go inside?" he asked, his thumb pointing.

She wanted to say no, but her fingers were itching. It has been a while since she last held a gun.

"Yes."

A perfect chance was laid down before him. He was aware that she and Chiba were over. Since he still had lingering feelings for her, he wanted to act on it now that she was free. Other than the fact that he could not just leave her alone with the state she was in.

"Can I also come?"

Hayami hesitated. This was Okajima, the class pervert, but for some reason, she needed a company – even if it was him.

Removing her gaze from him, she said, "OK." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	7. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟓

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "SUMMER is like the time you spend together - it's limited."

【Ｓｕｍｍｅｒ】

**－ ＡＵＧＵＳＴ －**   
_𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥_

_Three months before the breakup..._

Since the first semester midterm tests, both Chiba and Hayami have been busy before the summer break with their school, club activities, and the upcoming finals. Because of that, Chiba could not walk Hayami home from her school, and their weekend shooting sessions have become less frequent.

Even calling and messaging each other were a no go being inactive as they were in using mobile phones. They only sent messages when setting up their meetups and conveying good mornings and good nights only when it came to mind.

At least for this summer, they went to the pool with everyone in Class 3-E. The prodigy duo was the prime mover of this outing, making sure that all of them could go.

When their eyes had clapped upon each other by the pool entrance, smiles morphed on their features. They could not wait to have fun with everyone just like old times.

The boys were done changing to their swimwear before the girls. And so they waited for them on their spot while Okajima immersed himself in taking photos around – of girls in swimsuits particularly – when the lifeguard on duty blew his whistle and gave the semi-bald a scolding on bringing a camera in the pool.

With a crestfallen look on his face, Okajima staggered his way back to his male peers.

"I see your perverted ways haven't changed a bit, Okajima-kun," said Nakamura, who had just arrived with the other girls.

"Piss off!"

"Don't touch me!"

"Die, you erotic idiot!"

Every single one of the girls gave him a good beating as Chiba drew closer to Hayami, who looked tantalizing in a navy blue two-piece, to shield her from the male oglers.

Bending down to her ear, he said under his breath, "Stay close to me at all times."

The former Class 3-E, then, went into groups as they delved into the pool. Some of the girls were playing toss with a ball when it floated away from Yada after failing to catch it.

Hayami took the initiative to get it, drifting away from the group when a random guy approached her.

"Hey, do you want to play with us over there?" he asked her whilst pointing to where his friends were. His gaze fell to her cleavage as he added, "It will be fun."

"No, thanks," she answered with haste before turning back.

A smile plastered on the guy's face as he grabbed her wrist. "Don't be shy. I only want to get to know you."

She was about to tell him off when an ominous voice said from the guy's behind, "Let her go."

When the guy had turned over his shoulder, he saw Chiba emanating a dark aura – half of his face hidden like a ghost. It made the guy jump out of his skin.

The guy raised his hands in surrender after releasing his grasp on Hayami. Without further ado, he backed away from them.

Chiba cocked his head towards her. "Do you want to have a go on the slide?" he asked as if nothing had happened.

"Sure."

They climbed up the tall metal staircase and lined up at the giant slide. On their turn, Hayami held on the pool tube tightly with Chiba on the back, his legs around her. Since it had been a long time when they had been this close, they were both blushing and not saying anything while waiting for the staff to give their tube a push.

Hayami shut her eyes tight as they cascaded down the slide, droplets of water sprinkling on her face. A laugh escaped her mouth just as a splash greeted them by the end of the ride.

After resurfacing from the pool, Chiba squeezed the water from his bangs while Hayami ran her fingers through her hair away from her face. She, then, turned around at him with a euphoric expression.

"Let's do that again," she blurted.

Thinking that she looked cute with how childlike she was right now, he complied with a nod.

And at the summer festival thereafter, something special took place.

* * *

Unlike last time, it would only be the two of them going together. Hayami adorned herself on a yukata once again. This time, she tied her hair up with an ornament through her mother's help. Chiba also wore a yukata courtesy of his mother when she had found out that he would be meeting his girlfriend.

The first thing that they went to was the shooting booth. The one running it was the same man from the previous year. He broke into a fit when he had recognized the two accurate shooters that he banned before.

But of course, he could not just drive them away instantly since, technically, they were his customers. So he came up with an idea instead.

"I'll let you play in my booth in one condition – you have to hold each other's free hand while trying to shoot the prizes," he said.

Reluctance crossed their faces as they shared a glance.

The vendor broke into a mocking grin upon seeing their expressions. "What is this? You haven't held hands yet? Aren't you dating already?"

"We'll do it," Hayami said with sheer determination as she picked up the toy gun.

Chiba followed suit and, eyes straight ahead, moved his hand towards her until their palms touched. Both of them tightened their hold on the guns as they became more conscious of the feel of each other's warmth, their hearts thumping loudly.

The old man watched their flimsy attempts at hitting the prizes. He was obviously entertained at the sight of the stoic pair looking fazed over a simple physical touch.

After five tries, the two teenage snipers adjusted to the sensation of the other's hand at last. With that, each of them was able to take down a prize much to the old man's bafflement.

They still won a lot of prizes even though fewer than before. They also had brought paper bags exactly for this occasion. Brimming with pride at their intact shooting skills, they searched for a place to watch the fireworks display.

The show began as soon as they settled themselves on the stairs below the temple. Chins up, they gawped at the bursting fire flowers on the sky, their hands on the ground.

Chiba stole a glance at her awe-stricken face before looking down on their fingers almost brushing. Placing his hand on top of hers, he turned back to the colorful lights as he gave her hand a light squeeze. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, thank you for taking the time to start reading the Book 2. Please let me know what you think of it - some constructive criticisms are highly appreciated.
> 
> Now on to the first 5 chapters of the Breakup Arc. Yes, it has been a series of back-and-forth time skips, which will go on until the present time (the time of their breakup). I don't know if you'll be able to follow on it, but I've wanted to try doing the time skip thing so I did. Tell me if you're confused about something in the timeline and I'll clarify it for you.
> 
> I'm somewhat reluctant on how I'm going to write out Chiba and Hayami's relationship now that they are official. Because of their personalities, it's hard to see them act lovey-dovey to each other, but at the same time, their relationship won't progress otherwise. It feels like treading on a thin ice as I write their story after junior high, so if you have any suggestions or something to point out about the second book so far, please feel free to share them.
> 
> Furthermore, Okajima makes his comeback on his crush on Hayami in this arc. I actually didn't want to put him in the love triangle of this story, because to be honest, he is not a good fit for Hayami. At first, I thought that Hideo Fujiwara or Red Eye would be the better choice, but Hideo should be a thing of the past (besides he is studying in Kunugigaoka High School, so there would be no way that he and Hayami can cross paths) and Red Eye is already an adult - maybe in his 20s - so I don't want to pair him with the underage Hayami. 
> 
> I'll be ending my message here. Now it's time for me to work on the last six chapters of this arc. Look forward to the rest the of the Breakup Arc!


	8. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟔

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Sometimes, a PUSH is all you need."

【Ｐｕｓｈ】

**－ ＭＡＲＣＨ １２ －**   
_𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥_

_ Four months after the breakup.. _ _. _

The former Class 3-E had made an understanding as a whole that they would carry through the upkeep of the old building of the Kunugigaoka Junior High, which now belonged to them. Hence, on Korosensei's birthday and death anniversary, they all gathered on top of the mountain with each role to fulfill.

Sadly, Nakamura did not make it since she was still in California for her exchange program.

Every one of them acted the same way as they have in junior high. Not Chiba and Hayami. While Chiba would be doing the inspection and repairs, Hayami volunteered herself in the cleaning of the faculty lounge. If this was in the past, they would be working together right now.

Everybody else tried their best to pay no attention to the drift between the two. They knew what happened to them, but only a selected few – Kurahashi, Yada, Nakamura, Sugaya, and Karma – were kept abreast of the reason.

"So that was your girlfriend?!"

They were taking a break in the room when Maehara's outburst attracted several gazes including those from the girls, who were sitting with Hayami. She, on one hand, remained eating her bento without a single word.

When Chiba had replied with a nod, Maehara leaned back with his arms on the floor as support. "And just when I was about to ask you for her number," he added with a sigh.

From his right, Okano gave him a scratch on his face.

"I was kidding!" he exclaimed before edging closer to her. "You know that I've only got my eyes on you."

The short-haired gymnast turned pink as she looked away, her lips pursed, and he sneered mostly to himself for successfully hushing her up.

After that, Maehara began to fling some questions to Chiba about his new relationship. Isogai continuously elbowed his thick-skinned friend to stop him from talking since Hayami's friends were throwing dagger looks in their direction although the person herself sustained her composure.

But deep inside, she wanted to assassinate the playboy for his big loud mouth.

 _'Ah, this is getting frustrating,'_ Karma thought before leaving Nagisa's side, walking towards the group.

"Does this mean that Hayami can also start seeing someone else?" Karma uttered as he darted his eyes to Chiba, whose grip on the chopsticks tightened.

Maehara perked up from his seat and turned towards Hayami. "Hey, Hayami. Do you want me to introduce you to –?" his voice became muffled when Isogai, who was having enough already of his friend's lack of tact, had covered his mouth.

"You are wasting time already when there's still a lot to do," Hayami finally spoke up as she rose on her feet.

Striding her way out of the room, she further said, "Since we're done in the faculty lounge, I'll help with the other rooms."

* * *

In the afternoon, Sugaya was on his way to the storage shed when he passed by Hayami, stopping him in his tracks.

"There's a leaf on your neck," he told her, his finger aiming at the nape of her neck.

Holding a full bucket of water with both hands, Hayami turned her back on him. "Can you take it for me?" she asked.

Not far from them, Chiba had just gone out of the building when he saw their interaction. His gaze lingered on Sugaya's hand moving closer to Hayami's exposed neck.

He quickly looked away and went on his business. Standing beside him was Karma, who noticed the bloodlust oozing from him.

When they were done with their cleanup, the red-head grabbed Chiba by his shoulder. "Can we talk for a moment?" he asked with his golden orbs somber.

The two of them, then, headed to the lone tree by the side of the building. Karma crossed his arms as he rested his shoulder on the trunk.

"I will be upfront," Karma said before tilting his chin up as if looking down at him. "What the heck are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

Karma emitted a disgruntled sigh and said, "You keep on glancing at Hayami-san today and you even have the nerve to feel jealous over her when you already have a girlfriend."

Chiba was mute. He knew where this was going, and he had no right to make any excuses.

"If you still have feelings for her, then, why did you go out with another girl?"

When Chiba had stayed silent, Karma took this as a cue to continue. "You better stop being a coward and start thinking carefully of what you are going to do next, because –" his legs moved forward until he was beside the taciturn raven hair "– no matter what you choose, it is going to hurt someone." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	9. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟕

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "MAID - she looks cute as one. Admit it."

【Ｍａｉｄ】

**－ ＯＣＴＯＢＥＲ －**   
_𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥_

_One month before the breakup..._

Summer has ended, and now it was the second semester. Again, the couple could not meet with their hands full in school especially Hayami who had just gotten a part-time job in a maid café.

It started when one of her friends, Kiyoko Inoue, had begged Hayami to act as her substitute in one of her shifts since she would not be able to make it.

Like the rest of the girls, Inoue had been snubbing Kurosawa until she was saved by the beauty queen and her 'accomplice', Hayami, from a few drunken guys. From then on, she would hang out with her saviors, realizing herself that they were not bad as the rumors would say – that Kurosawa was arrogant and a bully because of her looks, and Hayami was her sidekick beneath that withdrawn personality.

At first, Hayami abruptly refused the request of her friend with a blue-haired ponytail since: One, she did not like socializing. Two, the job needed one to be talkative and she was not like that at all. Three, what's in it for her?

"In exchange, I'll bring you to a cat café. The drinks will be on me," said Inoue with a smug look.

"Deal," Hayami replied as she shook the blue hair's hand.

After taking that one shift, Hayami was wheedled into being a part-timer there because she could earn some extra money and the owner has a cat that she could play with on her break time. Mostly it was because of the second one.

She did not tell anyone from Class 3-E about it – even her close friends. Chiba only knew about her part-time when she had canceled their weekend appointment one time because she had to take over someone else's shift. It was not disclosed to him though as to where she was working and what type of job it was.

Hence, when a group of customers came into the shop one day during her shift, Hayami became stiff upon seeing their faces.

"Isn't that your boyfriend?" Inoue had crept up behind her with a jesting smile across her face.

 _'What is he doing here?'_ Hayami thought before turning around swiftly away from the newly-arrived customers. Then, she crouched down behind the counter when the owner of the café walked out from the kitchen.

Eyes staring down at her, the owner said, "What are you doing there? We have new guests to serve."

Since Hayami was not budging, Inoue spoke up in her stead – "Her boyfriend's here, Boss."

The corner of his mouth turned up as he placed both hands on his hips. "Then you should go and serve him. It's your chance to show off your cute side," he told Hayami.

* * *

It was vexing how he could not see her today because of her part-time job. While he was lying on the bed, already done with his homework, Sugaya was on the phone talking to Terasaka.

"Why don't you just invite Yoshida and Okajima? They'd be down to it." There was a slight pause until Sugaya said, "Sheesh. You're so persistent. Alright. I'll ask him."

Ending the call, Sugaya looked at Chiba and noticed his flatmate's down mood. "Terasaka was asking if we could accompany him, Takebayashi, and Muramatsu in a maid café. There is a discount if you go there as a group of five."

"Pass," Chiba replied before turning around, his back facing Sugaya.

"Come on. It's not like you have anything better to do," the silver hair insisted.

Chiba thought about it for a moment. He could use the time to hang out with a bunch of the Class 3-E boys since it has been a rare occasion to do so.

Rising from the bed, he said, "Alright."

But neither of the five expected that they would see Hayami in the café in a maid uniform, serving their table. Her hair was fixed into pigtails as she did back in middle school.

While everyone else was still in a state of shock, Sugaya said, "So you are working here, Hayami. What a surprise."

"I didn't think that you would come here either especially –" her eyes darted to her speechless boyfriend before blinking once "– you."

Terasaka flailed his arms around nervously as he explained, "I'm the one who invited him and Sugaya since we badly needed the discount. They were sorta just forced to come here with us. Right, Koutarou?" He looked at the otaku-in-glasses sitting beside him.

"He's right," said Takebayashi. "Although I'm hoping that after this, the two will come to appreciate the wonders of girls as maids."

"I see," Hayami uttered even though she did not get the last part. Then, holding out her notepad and pen, she said, "Can I take your orders now, my masters?"

When Chiba had heard her address them as 'my masters', he choked on the water that he had been gulping down. Sugaya patted his back, sharing his embarrassment.

After his companions had left, Chiba stayed behind to wait for Hayami. So when her shift ended, he met up with her at the back door of the store.

"You didn't tell me that you're working here," he said as soon as she stepped out of the heavy door in her normal clothes.

"You didn't ask."

_Fair point._

"I chose this place because it's not that far –" she began to say "– and my friend works here. It has good pay too."

She was about to walk beside him when something caught her eye. "Skittles?" she breathed out as she looked over Chiba's figure. Then she crossed to his other side with an ecstatic face, bending down to a domestic cat.

"What are you doing outside? Boss might be looking for you," she said in a soothing tone.

She, then, stood up and faced Chiba while carrying in her arms a white cat – round and puffy like a cotton ball. "Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't work here because of Skittles," she clarified, back to her placid voice.

"I didn't say anything." And yet, a small smile made its way across his mouth, tad amused at the discovery. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	10. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟖

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It was only when you SPLIT you realize what you've lost."

**【** Ｓｐｌｉｔ **】**

**－ ＮＯＶＥＭＢＥＲ －**   
_𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥_

_Present_

"What?! You broke up?!" Inoue with a blue-haired ponytail cried out with her hands slamming on Hayami's desk.

Standing on the left was their curvy friend, Kurosawa. "Yeah. I was the one who initiated it," she said matter-of-factly with her hand on her outthrust hip.

The blue-haired girl looked dumbfoundedly at the school's mature beauty. This was the girl who all the boys have been drooling over and who all the girls have been envying upon in silence. That is, all girls except for these two, Hayami and Inoue, with who she has been hanging out in class.

"B-But why? I thought he matched all of your standards?"

After heaving out a sigh, Kurosawa stated, "I'm getting tired with our relationship. It's a constant cycle of fighting, then making up. Then fighting and then making up again. Honestly, it's become a hassle."

Hayami flinched at the similarity of those words to her current situation, albeit not the fighting part.

"That's a shame," Inoue uttered before flicking her gaze to the emerald-eyed girl, who was sitting down in the middle with her orange waves resting on her shoulders, "Right, Hayami?"

Her thoughts interrupted, Hayami blinked at the blue hair's dark green orbs. She simply nodded in reply.

"You looked lost in your thoughts. Is something bothering you?" Kurosawa queried.

Hayami rose on her feet, pushing the chair behind her. "I'm sorry. I have to go to my club," she said, dismissing her friend's question.

Thinking that she probably needed some space, for now, the two let her be. As she shuffled out of the classroom, worried stares followed her back.

As she practiced her steps for the Jazz Dance Club, Hayami mulled over her relationship with _him_ and what she was going to do about it. It's been bothering her for weeks and she couldn't tell if it was the same for _him._ Like what her friend had said earlier, she was also getting fed up.

Thankfully, the other members of the club noticed her glum expression and left her alone in peace. They knew better than to try meddling with her affairs.

After practice, Hayami rode the bus to Shibuya Station instead of walking straight to her house. Then she took the train to Meguro Station.

_What if he was still in school?_

She thought about sending him a message first, but- _No. I've already made up my mind. I need to do this once and for all._

Walking on the street alone, she remembered the times when they would trek down the mountain after school in silence, which wasn't awkward at all. Their proximity already made the moment precious for both of them.

But that was back then.

Now, it has become hard for them to see each other with their club activities, schoolwork, exams, and her recent part-time job. Lately, Chiba, her boyfriend, looked weary or sickly. She would often take notice of this every time he walked her home and whenever they met on the weekends. She reckoned that juggling between his schooling and their relationship seemed to take a toll on his health.

At times she would wonder if there was even a point to their relationship; she would sometimes feel like they were going nowhere with it. Because of their long distance and restricted time, being with him has turned into a rare gem.

When the familiar three-story building had come into view, she halted her footsteps. Looking up, her eyes zeroed in on the third door of the second floor. Her clutch on her bag tightened before she started moving her feet towards the stairs.

Every step was heavy. In each breath, she reminded herself that it would be fine. That everything would work out.

When she had arrived in front of the dull-looking brown door, she lifted her finger to the doorbell.

_Ding! Dong!_

Sounds of languid footsteps resounded as the wooden floor creaked. When the door had swung open, she was greeted by a shocked expression of a tall lean boy with a black fringe covering his eyes.

Her unprecedented arrival brought a lag to his brain. She had done this twice in the past and for completely different reasons – the first one was for her personal reasons and the second one was due to the knavery of her former classmates.

Before he could draw out any conclusion or even say something, she had already beaten him to the punch. With this, her words brought his mind to a full stop.

"Let's break up," she said in a monotone voice.

* * *

His hand shook on the doorknob as he let her inside. Confusion and agony swallowed him whole while they sat down on the floor with the square table between them.

The seconds on the wall clock continued to tick, the silence unfaltering. With one fist on the table, he gulped, not knowing what to say.

"We can't continue like this, with the way we are," she said, breaking the icy air. "I think that we should focus more on important things for now, like our studies and our health."

 _'But you ARE important,'_ he yelled inside his mind. His head turned up at her.

Maintaining her gaze on him, she added, "We can still be friends. But to be honest, I don't think it won't make much difference anyway. We can't even manage to meet more often."

He understood what she was trying to convey underneath her cold brief speech. He admitted that their efforts were not enough to progress their relationship. They have been together since junior high for more than a year and they have been officially going out for seven months already. By now, they should have already taken a big leap to become closer as _partners_ and not just in a romantic way.

Despite growing up as high school students, they remained as they were in Class 3-E. _So close, yet so far away_.

Korosensei would definitely have given them a scolding on romance and relationships if he were here right now.

Although he knew those things, it did not mean that he wanted to end things with her. _Not like this_. He thought about discussing this decision more with her, how they should resolve it, and not end things quickly – as healthy partners should do.

But for some reason, all that went out of his mouth were the words that he would regret saying that day.

"I agree, let's go back to being friends." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	11. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟗

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You can fix your MISTAKE only when you realize it."

【Ｍｉｓｔａｋｅ】

**－ ＡＰＲＩＬ －**   
_𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥_

_Five months after the breakup..._

Miyamoto had been dating Chiba for around two months and it was blissful. Not only was he kind and thoughtful, but he was also dependable in everything he did.

His shy glances despite his straightforward words, his modest smile every time he did something right, and his large yet slender hands that moved gingerly while scribbling on a math problem. She was lucky to be going out with him.

But when the day came when he ended it between them, she could not say that she did not see it coming.

He was accompanying her to the bus stop after school when his footsteps stopped out-of-the-blue. She gave him a questioning look.

He asked, "Can we talk somewhere?"

As soon as they settled themselves on the table inside a coffee shop, he dipped in a low bow without warning. "I'm sorry, Miyamoto-san," he said.

Following that, he told her how he had been deceiving her and that when he had agreed to go out with her on Valentines' Day it was out of whim. He, then, droned on about how he was wrong in dragging her along for the past two months, and how she deserved someone better who would genuinely return her feelings.

And so he wanted to make things right with her.

She merely listened, her heart crushing into pieces bit-by-bit, but she fought back her tears – the pain – as she let him finish.

When he did, he continued to stare down on his lap, waiting for her reply.

"Is there another girl?" she finally asked.

He looked up, baffled, before answering her. "Yes. My ex-girlfriend."

_'So that means he likes someone else from the start.'_

Closing her fists on the table, Miyamoto said, "This is so unfair. I want to be angry at you but I can't –" she met his gaze as her eyes started to moisten "– because, within that short amount of time, I've come to know your good sides, which somehow overweighed the wrong you've done to me."

When she had uncoiled her fists, it was as if the tension within her body was released. "It's not surprising for me to know that our feelings aren't mutual since we started dating. In fact, I was hoping that you'd come to like me back while we're together," she stated as she put on a weak smile. "I guess that was just wishful thinking."

"I'm sorry," he said, lowering his head once again. Then he slowly looked up. "And thank you for everything."

Although it was not evident on his partially-hidden face, she could still sense his sincerity. To be honest, their time together was fun until it lasted. "Thank you too for going out with me," she replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	12. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏𝟎

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "A heartfelt CONFESSION is one that you put your heart and mind into."

【Ｃｏｎｆｅｓｓｉｏｎ】

**－ ＪＵＮＥ －**   
_𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥_

_Six months after the breakup..._

Ever since the start of the second year, Okajima would wait for Hayami in her school every now and then. Given that his school was just around the corner with his house on the way to hers, he had decided to keep her company.

Hayami would try to drive him away at the start, asserting that she wanted to be left alone. That did not stop him, continuing to walk with her until she grew numb to his presence. Her friends had even thought that the semi-bald pervert was her new boyfriend; Kurosawa was highly skeptical since the guy was a total opposite of Chiba and was reeking with a corrupted aura.

Although Okajima knew he did not stand a chance with Hayami, he still wanted to confess his feelings for her so that he could finally lift the weight off his chest and move on after all this time. 

And so, in one Friday after school, he asked her if they could talk someplace else with no one else around – in the park.

Rubbing the back of his head, he began to say, "I want to tell you that –" he gave the blank-faced Hayami a glance "– I've liked you since our third year in junior high."

When she had parted her lips for her reply, he quickly intervened. "I know that you don't and won't ever feel the same way. I just want to say it to get it over with," he said.

Then a doleful smile formed across his face. "That's why you should also tell what you want to say to Chiba."

Her forehead wrinkled, taken aback by his advice. "I-I don't –" she blurted.

"Don't go _tsundere_ mode on me. Everyone knows that you are still not over each other," he said with a chuckle.

She nibbled on her lip as her left hand touched her opposite elbow. After taking in a breath, she told him, "Thank you for your feelings."

With a small blush, he placed both of his hands on his waist as a grin broke on his face. "Now I can pursue my perverted desires without worries from now on!" he declared.

In turn, he received a wry look from her right before she slipped on a smile.

With just a single confession, Hayami was now feeling drained for today. Little she did know that another one was waiting for her by the gate of her abode.

She stopped short in a daze. It seemed like ages since she last saw him.

Upon noticing her familiar presence, Chiba's head wheeled towards her direction. Then he faced her with his expression dead set on something – on _her._

Without beating around the bush, he said, "Hayami, I want to be together with you again."

"What about your girlfriend?"

"It's _you_ that I have always wanted."

Just like that, everything that he wanted to say was conveyed to her. They were so in tune that they did not need to lay out every single thing verbally. That was how they knew that they were right for each other.

She took steps forward, closing in their distance, as her mouth curved up. For half a year, she yearned for this moment. For the other half of her heart to be whole again. For her to be with him as before.

"What took you so long?" she asked although she was the one who had given up first.

"I'm sorry," he said. It was because he had to find the perfect timing and the right words to say amidst his full-packed schedule.

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have broken up with you."

She was a fool for ending their relationship on her own. They should have talked about their problem beforehand and overcame it together as partners – like they always did in the assassination classroom. As what Korosensei taught them to be.

Raising her arm, she said, "Partners?" to which he returned with the bump of his arm.

"Partners."

They knew that this wasn't a romantic thing to do, but they couldn't care less. This was their thing and how Hayami wanted to reunite with him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	13. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏𝟏

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Your BIRTHDAY is well-spent with the people who are dear to you."

【Ｂｉｒｔｈｄａｙ】

**－ ＪＵＬＹ １２ －**   
_𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥_

_Seven_ _months after the breakup..._

After going to the gate when Hayami had heard the buzz, she was taken by surprise to see outside some of the girls in Class 3-E beaming at her. The others sadly could not come so they, along with the boys, atoned for it by blasting her with birthday messages in the chat.

"Happy Birthday!" the girls all exclaimed in unison.

"We brought you a cake," Yada said as she presented the white carton in her hands.

"And party hats!" Kurahashi chirped. She, then, put one atop Hayami's head.

Her cheeks pink, Hayami blurted out her 'Thank you' before ushering them into her house. Inside the kitchen, she told her mother, who was in the middle of preparing dinner, that her friends came here.

After setting the table, with the cake in the center, they did the usual singing and blowing of the candle. When they had finished eating, they proceeded to Hayami's room after they had helped her mother clean up.

Her room has a basic interior design with neutral colors. But when her guests saw the numerous amount of stuffed toys lined up across the shelves, her guests were amazed.

While Hayami was explaining the origins of her collection, Fuwa caught sight of a cat plush toy with a horn on the forehead that was nestled on the side of the bed. It was the one that Chiba had given to Hayami on their first date.

Fuwa picked it up with a scrutinizing gaze. _Why is this one here, not with the rest? If it's because she likes cats that I get, but..._ She shifted her eyes to the shelves where the other toys were before returning to the plush toy in her clasp. _There are also cats displayed there. Is Hayami the type to cuddle a stuffed toy while sleeping? I wonder what's so special about this one._

"Hayami," she called out, looking over her shoulder.

The orange-haired celebrant, who was having a chat with the others, gave her a glance from the floor.

"Did you also win this one as a prize?" asked Fuwa as she showed her the cat plush toy.

"No."

"So where did you get this?"

"In the arcade."

While the girls were puzzled at their barren exchange, Fuwa placed back the toy and sneered. "So Chiba-kun gave you the stuffed toy," she proclaimed without a single doubt.

That did not faze Hayami although the same could not be said to her friends who were sharing agape faces and gasps.

"How sweet of him," Kataoka remarked.

The other girls bobbed their heads in agreement when Okuda spoke up.

"By the way, how are you and Chiba-kun doing?"

Every single one of them stared at Hayami. They were also curious about how things went for the couple after getting back together.

"We are fine," she answered.

But in reality, things have not been easier. They still have to prioritize their studies, club activities, and in Hayami's case her part-time job. Still, that was expected.

In order to recompense for their cluttered timetable, they arranged their free Fridays or Saturdays for a group study to answer their assignments together. On Fridays, they would study in a café or restaurant, and on Saturdays, Hayami would go to Chiba's apartment. Every other Sunday, they would go out on their usual dates.

When Hayami has a shift on weekends, thereby canceling their plans, Chiba would sometimes visit her workplace as a customer and spend his time there studying or just lounging around.

It was a tedious routine to follow especially at first. But all the exhaustion would sweep away as soon as they saw each other.

They have also made it a habit for them to call each other at night once in a while. With that, they would just leave their phones on their table by the side, listening to each other's scribble of their pen and to the other's few comments and questions here and there while finishing their homework.

The girls then gave their presents to Hayami. Afterward, they hanged some more joshing around and talking to each other – mostly about their classmates in Class 3-E and their new schools.

* * *

Before the night turned deeper, Hayami's friends had left to go back to their homes. She went inside her bedroom when her phone on the study table started ringing.

Upon answering the call, she heard Chiba say, "Happy Birthday," which brought a faint smile across her lips.

"Thanks."

"Since I couldn't celebrate with you, I have prepared something for you." There were sounds of shuffling and movements from his end. "I had our drummer and pianist in the club pre-record their play," he added.

Initially, she was lost in what he had told her until a jazzy tune started playing on her ear. She could make out the strumming of the bass guitar, which she immediately knew that it was him. As she continued to listen in silence, a picture of him with the bass guitar on his lap materialized in her mind, his spindly fingers plucking the strings as he pressed his lips together in concentration.

When he was done, she said in a warm voice, "That was... _beautiful._ Thank you."

"Lunch will be on me this Sunday. To make up for today."

"Where did you learn that from?" she asked amusedly. He wasn't the type to come up with that smooth line unless he received such advice from someone like –

"Maehara," he replied.

 _'I knew it,'_ she thought.

Then she asked, "Did you compose the music?"

He hummed.

"Your jazz piece was pretty good for someone who likes hard punk."

"Well –" she could tell that at the moment, he was scratching his cheek sheepishly "– it just somehow came to me when I thought of you and the time we spent together." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You just finished the first arc of this story. The second arc is called Back to Partners Arc, which includes Chiba and Hayami's second and third year in high school. 
> 
> Honestly speaking, I've been having doubts on the back-and-forth time skip thing I did in the Breakup Arc. I feel that it doesn't give much charm to the arc plot. But what do you think? Is it good as the way it is? Otherwise, I'm going to have the change the order of the chapters to the normal subsequent order.
> 
> I also find Chiba and Miyamoto like a pair of grown-ups in the Episode 9 of the Breakup Arc when Chiba broke up with her. For Miyamoto to not make a scene, she is a saint. Chiba was lucky that it was her who confessed to him and not other girls. 
> 
> What else can I say? Hhmmm.... Ah yes, Okajima. I'm glad that I finally ended his role in the 'love triangle' even though he never had a chance. Good luck to him in pursuing his interests.
> 
> Please don't forget to leave kudos on the story if you are liking it so far. You will be hearing from me again in the second arc. More ChibaHaya moments coming soon.
> 
> Stay tuned!
> 
> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	14. ░ 𝔹𝔸ℂ𝕂 𝕋𝕆 ℙ𝔸ℝ𝕋ℕ𝔼ℝ𝕊 𝔸ℝℂ ░

**ＥＰＩＳＯＤＥＳ  
**

▂ ▃ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ █ ▇ ▆ ▅ ▄ ▃ ▂

**(𝟷𝟸): 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚔** **  
**

**(𝟷𝟹): 𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚝𝚑**

**(𝟷𝟺): 𝙲𝚑𝚎𝚎𝚔** **  
**

**(𝟷𝟻): 𝙷𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎**

**(𝟷𝟼): 𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚋𝚊𝚕𝚕** **  
**

**(𝟷𝟽): 𝙺𝚒𝚜𝚜**

**(𝟷𝟾): 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚌𝚝** **  
**

**(𝟷𝟿): 𝚅𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎**

**(𝟸𝟶): 𝙼𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚗** **  
**

**(𝟸𝟷): 𝚂𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚖**

**(𝟸𝟸): 𝙻𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎**

▂ ▃ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ █ ▇ ▆ ▅ ▄ ▃ ▂


	15. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏𝟐

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Leave a MARK they can't erase, neither space nor time." ~ Jay Z

【Ｍａｒｋ】

**－ ＯＣＴＯＢＥＲ －**   
_𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥_

"Happy Halloween!"

In the middle of the field, where it was once their training grounds in junior high, stood Nakamura in a bunny girl outfit. She was holding a microphone while facing her Class 3-E peers, who were also clad in their Halloween costumes.

The open area was decorated with jack-o-lanterns on the grass and hanging from tree branches covered in fake cobwebs. On each round table, covered in white cloth, is a skull head glowing in green. In front of the blonde prodigy was a long rectangular table covered with dishes and delicacies, prepared by Hara and Muramatsu with the help of some of their friends.

"Now that everyone is here, we can start the party! We're going to play a game first before we eat, and then it's movie time. Lastly, we are going to hold a costume contest with Karma, Ritsu, and I as judges," Nakamura announced.

When Nakamura had gone back to Japan from studying abroad, she enunciated to everyone in the group chat that they should have a Halloween Party as the people do in America. Set in the Class E building. Since they all had just undergone stress in the midterm exams, it seemed right to jump in the ride.

For the game that they were playing, it was a blend of _Stand on Newspaper_ and _Seven Minutes in Heaven._ The participants were in pairs – one boy and one girl – and the pair that was not able to step fully within the newspaper after the music stopped would be out of the game. The loser pair would be punished by staying inside a locked room together for seven minutes while the newspaper game resumed.

Because there were three more boys than girls (excluding Ritsu), Takebayashi, Muramatsu, and Itona were set aside to supervise the game instead. Nakamura was the one who had chosen them for obvious – _matchmaking –_ reasons.

Chiba, dressed as a cowboy, and Hayami as a vampire lost after four rounds. Hayami was standing on her toes when she looked up at Chiba, whose arms were encircled around her waist. The proximity of his fierce gaze above her face sent her mind and heart into haywire, which caused her to lose balance.

"I'm sorry," Chiba blurted after they had left the game.

"Why are you apologizing? It was me who fell down," said Hayami skeptically.

"I know that if it weren't for my eyes, you wouldn't have –" his jaw tightened "– and I could've stopped your fall."

A sigh escaped her lips. "That's not necessary. It's just a game. Besides, I have my share of fault too."

Upon confiscating their phones, they headed to the storage shed. Takebayashi in a mad scientist getup led them on the way there while carrying a flashlight.

The darkness of their surroundings, the eerie quiet, and the languid walk have taken them to the nostalgia of when they had their Test of Courage in Okinawa Island. As to how they have been paired up and the physical touch needed in the game, it reminded them of Korosensei's 'annoying' attempts of inciting romance upon his students.

After opening the door, Chiba patted the sidewall for the switch only to find that the light was not working.

"Without light, it's too dark for us to stay inside," said Hayami.

"Then you can have this flashlight. You won't be doing anything inside anyway," Takebayashi said as he fixed his glasses. Although he doubted that nothing would happen between them considering that they were already a couple.

When the loser pair had made their way in, Takebayashi slid the door to a shut and locked it with a chain. "Enjoy your seven minutes, you two," he said as he gave the door a tap before leaving.

The inside was almost pitch-black except for the gleam in Chiba's hand, which made Hayami stick close to him. Thanks to his bangs blocking his sight, he was having difficulty navigating in the dark for a spot to sit on.

"I should have thought of changing the light," he uttered when his foot tripped over a solid object, causing him to lurch forward.

Before Hayami could grab a hold of him, his hand had latched onto her wrist, bringing her with him. He ended up lying flat on the floor with her landing on top of him. Underneath his weight was a box filled with sheets that had cushioned his head from the fall.

Still in a haze, Chiba propped his elbows up when he found himself staring face-to-face with Hayami. Her features were being radiated by the flashlight, which had been dropped right beside them.

Her emerald eyes blinked just as her mouth curved up into a smirk. "Why does it seem like Korosensei's pulling the strings?" she mused.

He smiled back. "It couldn't have been him. His efforts have always been a failure," he said jokingly.

Then her emerald eyes turned coquettish. "Say," she began in a velvet-like tone. "Don't I look like right now a vampire trying to suck in blood from a human?"

Seeing the picture, he chuckled. "I guess."

"What if I take a bite?" she whispered as she drew nearer to him when a lump formed in his throat, heart accelerating.

She spread her mouth open over his bare neck. She wanted to tease him a little, make him flustered, but – when she saw his skin and the rise-and-fall of his chest – something else possessed her.

Every part of his body turned rigid at the contact of her lips on his neck followed by a nibble of her teeth. His stomach churned and flipped as his chest thumped loudly, sending all of the blood to his brain.

He couldn't believe that she would actually do it; he had thought that she was only messing with him. Who knew that she has this side of her – an assertive and bold one?

With a gloating smile, she detached herself from him and got up on her feet. "I wonder how long we still have," she stated nonchalantly as she turned her back on him, facing the door.

In a trance-like state, Chiba touched the part that she had nipped. He dwelled on the sensation that lingered there – the soft feel of her lips, the scrape of her teeth, and her warm breath.

As for Hayami, well, she was ashamed of herself deep inside because not only she had bitten his neck, but she also had left a mark. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	16. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏𝟑

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "But today, I feel the genuine WARMTH, the affection and although I may joke about it, I am touched." ~ Perry Como

【Ｗａｒｍｔｈ】

**－ ＤＥＣＥＭＢＥＲ ２４ －**   
_𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥_

As soon as she heard the sound of the chime, Inoue rushed to the entrance of the shop. She flinched when the customer that had walked in was – "Hayami's boyfriend?!"

She immediately covered her mouth, realizing that she was still working, before giving him a bow. "Welcome, my master," she said. Then she showed him to his table.

When he had sat down, she asked him, "Do you want me to call Rin-chan for you?"

The employees in the maid café called _Loyal Service_ were made to use nicknames in serving their guests. While Inoue was called 'Azure-chan', she had given Hayami the name 'Rin-chan'.

He took a glimpse around and caught sight of his girlfriend attending another table. "Maybe not. She's busy," he said.

"Don't worry." Inoue gave him a reassuring wink. "I'll find a way," she added before approaching Hayami, who was on her way to the kitchen.

"Rin-chan, you sweetheart is here ~" she sang from behind, clasping Hayami's shoulders and resting her chin on one shoulder.

"I see," Hayami said, unimpressed, as she moved her feet.

This made the blue hair pout. It's disappointing how her friend could be this apathetic even when it came to her boyfriend. "Why don't you go and greet him? I can take over Table 5," she offered.

Upon giving a brief glance at her friend's expectant expression, Hayami heaved out a sigh. "Alright." She reached out a paper slip over her shoulder. "Here's the order. Hurry."

Inoue did a salute before marching off to give the order slip to the kitchen. Hayami turned around and went in the opposite direction – to where _he_ was sitting.

"It's a pleasure to be serving you, master," Hayami greeted with a curtsy and a straight face before him.

She followed it with, "What will be your order?"

He hadn't even touched the menu when he replied, "Just a cup of coffee."

Normally, they should be asking the customer if there's anything they would like to add. But she knew him better.

After jotting down his order on her notepad, she said instead, "I'll be done with my work in an hour."

"OK."

Since tonight would be Christmas Eve, they planned to have their date after Hayami's shift. When she was done, she changed into her casual outfit and headed to the back exit where he would be waiting.

After taking the bus to the plaza, Hayami asked him, "Do you think that it'll be open?"

"I checked beforehand. It's open today until 7 pm," he said.

She smiled. "We have an hour then. We better make the most of it."

He hummed with a nod.

* * *

When Chiba and Hayami had walked into the center, the clerk was surprised to see them. He didn't expect that this pair, known for their top-notch shooting skills, would return to this place.

"Hey, you kids haven't been coming here for a while. I thought you stopped," he told them after they had arrived at the counter.

"We've been busy with school," Chiba reasoned.

"We'll go with the same one," Hayami said next.

The clerk disappeared into the room behind him. He, then, reemerged with a green heavy duffel bag. "The guns are inside. As for the ammo –" He stooped below the counter and took out two containers filled with pellets, placing them on top "– here they are."

He added, "You know, there is a paintball event match next week. You should join like before. Some of the folks here have been asking me where the _sniper couple_ has gone to. They miss playing with the best."

"We'll come," Hayami said while Chiba nodded in agreement.

After the clerk had conversed with them some more, they proceeded to the shooting range. Chiba prepared his favorite – sniper rifle – before sitting cross-legged on the floor, while Hayami, standing beside him, loaded the pistol in her hand.

Oh, how they missed this setup.

"Best out of ten?" She turned to him with a challenging smile on her face.

He smirked back. "Loser will pay for dinner."

At the same time, they faced the front and pulled their triggers.

* * *

Due to lack of practice, both of them were not able to hit the bullseye in their first few tries. Although the simultaneous firing of their guns eventually brought back their aptitude in shooting with Chiba being able to land the direct hits before Hayami could.

With that, Chiba won for three rounds – 7-8-10. Hayami fell short with two hits in the first and second, and one hit in the last round.

After having their dinner, they took a stroll on the street that was brimming with city lights when a drop of snow touched down Hayami's nose. She batted an eyelid before looking up to where hundreds of white flurries were falling from the evening sky.

Chiba followed her gaze as his lips quirked up. "This reminded me of that night," he said woefully.

It was that night, two years ago, when Nagisa stabbed the knife onto their beloved teacher's chest. Beads of light scattered around them, slowly dissolving into thin air right before tears cascaded their anguish faces.

"I miss him," she said under her breath.

"Mm."

Then they resumed their walk until they reached the riverbank. Almost no one else was wandering around since everyone was either at work or spending time with their loved ones elsewhere.

They plopped down the stairs, taking their time to just wallow in their surroundings. Since Hayami's mother would be coming home late from work, Chiba had suggested extending their date. Nothing came to mind when they had tried to think of a place to go, so they settled on just wandering around to where their feet would bring them.

"It's getting too cold," Chiba blurted in a shivering voice as he rubbed his hands together.

"You should've worn gloves," she said.

He turned his head as her words have brought him to a déjà vu. "I forgot," he replied and, then, felt a shudder.

He could claim that he was so ecstatic ever since this morning about going to the shooting range that he forgot. Or that he didn't think of it because wearing gloves would hinder the dexterity of his finger when pulling the trigger.

But both were just flimsy excuses to hold her hand. He remembered that last time he didn't wear gloves to school, he had joked about using her hands for his cold ones.

"Here." Rather than a pair of hot packs, she reached out her bare hand as she remained facing the front.

"Don't get the wrong idea though," she said further when a puff of cloud escaped her lips. "I didn't have hot packs on me this time."

With a smile, he took her hand in his and uttered his "Thanks".

Her warmth did not only lessen the cold, but it also brought butterflies to his stomach. Lowering their adjoining hands to their side, their fingers interlocked as they went back to watching the snowfall. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you remember that scene in Being With You when Chiba said this joke that were he to forget his gloves again, using Hayami's hands for warmth would also do? Well, this episode was the response to that.
> 
> I also 'subtly' included the fact that Chiba doesn't wear a glove when sniping since his finger-trigger is more flexible without it. I read this in his character profile either in the wikia site or in the official character book. I couldn't remember exactly where.


	17. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏𝟒

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "When lovers kiss on the CHEEKS, it is because they are searching, feeling for one another's lips. Lovers are made by a kiss." ~ Emile Zola

【Ｃｈｅｅｋ】

**－ ＪＡＮＵＡＲＹ １ －**   
_𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥_

Today's the beginning of another year, and this would be their first time visiting the shrine together. Amidst the crowd and infinite odds, they somehow ran across Chiba's older sister, who was with her university friends.

He turned stiff when Emi had come closer, while Hayami looked at him, wondering why he had stopped.

"Ryuu, don't tell me you're here all alone," the raven-haired and azure-eyed lady said before flicking her gaze towards the girl, with orange wavy hair, standing idly beside her brother.

A sneer formed across her face as she folded her arms. "So you're not. Are you the rumored girlfriend that my brother's been fawning for?" she asked.

"My name is Hayami Rinka," Hayami introduced with a dip of her head.

That calm demeanor and level-headedness piqued Emi's interest. "Nice to meet you, Rinka-chan. I'm Emi, this dork's sister," she said with an extended hand.

Chiba could only sigh while his girlfriend accepted the handshake. He was hoping that his sister would be merciful today although that was just a pipe dream. He knew too well that meeting Hayami would incite ridiculous ideas inside his sister's mind.

Still grabbing Hayami's hand, Emi turned to Chiba with a cynical look. "Oi, she's actually pretty cute. How on earth did you manage to get a girl like her?" she queried.

Instead of answering, he asked, "Will you be going home after, Nee-san?"

"I'll just drop by for the night, then, I'm going back to the apartment in the morning," she replied. Unfortunately, her attention reverted back to Hayami.

"By the way, Ryuu mumbles in his sleep and he sometimes falls down the stairs in the morning after waking up because of his bangs –" She was cut off when Chiba began to push her away.

"We need to go. Bye-bye, Nee-san," he said with a deadpan look.

That didn't stop her jabber. Turning over her shoulder as she was steeled further apart, she continued, "I also have his embarrassing pictures that I can send to you, Rinka-chan. If you want to know about his preferences, I can do some recon for you. Just tell me, alright?"

Yelling the last part, Emi waved her hand after, which Hayami returned. This whole time Hayami had been merely gawking at Chiba's sister, thinking that she looked gorgeous and gave off a chill grown-up vibe.

When Chiba had returned, after being teased more by his sister and her peers, they headed to the shrine. In front of the offering hall, they pressed their hands together as they expressed their prayers in their head,

"I wish for another good year with _her_."

"I wish to have a good year with _him_ once again." 

Afterward, he walked her home. Before she could open the gate, he leaned down to her and landed a peck on her cheek.

Straightening his back as he looked at her wide emerald eyes and red-tainted face, he said, "Let's get along this year too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	18. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏𝟓

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "That's the thing with HANDMADE items. They still have the person's mark on them, and when you hold them, you feel less alone..." ~ Aimee Bender

【Ｈａｎｄｍａｄｅ】

**－ ＦＥＢＲＵＡＲＹ １４ －**   
_𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥_

Hayami was waiting at the gate of Tokyo Tech High School, gaining looks especially from the boys, when Chiba rushed his way to her.

"I'm sorry. I was caught up with something," he told her as he panted, catching his breath.

Her eyes fell on the bulge on his coat pocket. Her mouth curved up playfully. "Some girl gave you chocolate?"

When his jaw had tightened, she knew she hit the spot.

"Yeah," he replied guiltily – who wouldn't if you just received a home-baked _honmei_ chocolate, the one tucked inside his pocket, from another girl besides your girlfriend?

A group of students, then, passed by and halted beside them. "Is she your girlfriend, Chiba?" asked Fumio Yamamoto, the drummer of the Light Music Club.

When Chiba had nodded, Daisuke Tanaka – the one playing the electric guitar – exclaimed, "She actually exists?!" before sustaining a smack on his head from the vocalist, Asami Sasaki.

"Of course she does. Why would Chiba lie about having a girlfriend?" she pointed.

With a pout, Tanaka rubbed the back of his head.

Chiba turned to Hayami and pointed his finger towards the rowdy group as he introduced to her his fellow club members one-by-one.

"And this is Hayami Rinka," he said as he looked back at the members. "She is my classmate in junior high."

Tanaka sneaked closer to Hayami. "Did you come here to give him your chocolates?" he asked with a teasing grin.

Because she didn't want to expose her full intentions to Chiba, she simply ignored him. And Sasaki, having sensed that, grabbed Tanaka by his collar and dragged him away.

"We really should get going," Chiba said, thinking that it would be bad if Hayami stayed out too late.

"Okay, see you next week!" Yamamoto proclaimed cheerily while the other two waved their hands.

"Take care."

"Hey, tell me if you get chocolate from your –"

After throwing Tanaka a glare, Sasaki locked his head under her armpit in a flash. "Will you quit it?!" she barked afterward.

During their walk, Chiba noticed that Hayami was brooding over something. He knew that it wasn't because of the chocolate; it would take more than that to make her jealous. But she did mention that she was going to give something today. It was why she had insisted on coming to his place.

Could it be that it really was about chocolate? Maybe she forgot to bring it?

After arriving in the apartment, they began to do their homework together without adieu. He would now and then steal glances at her, wondering about the 'something' that she has yet to give him. Usually, she would be direct and quick about these things so why was she taking her time?

_Of course, she must have not brought it with her._

With that settled down, he refocused himself on the task at hand. Later on, he arose from his seat while Hayami trailed her eyes on him as he went to the bathroom.

When he was out of sight, she averted her gaze to his school bag. She bit on her lip. ' _So this is what the others must have felt when they were about to give a honmei chocolate,'_ she thought.

* * *

As soon as the night had set in, Chiba came in the door of his apartment after escorting Hayami to the bus stop. He shoved his hand into his pocket and felt the chocolate he got earlier in school after club practice.

He placed it inside the refrigerator without giving it much thought since it was not _her_ who gave it. He was not disappointed though. He was not expecting anything from her anyway.

Well, that's what he would like to think.

He plopped down the floor before turning to his bag to put back the stuff he had used. Upon zipping it open, he paused.

On top of the things inside there lay a pink box with a note, which has a cat sticker on it and a word in _her_ handwriting spelling out, _'Respect'._

A smile slipped on his face as he lifted the lid, chocolate truffles inside. After popping a piece into his mouth, he chuckled to himself. It was bitter, yet sweet – just the way he wanted. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Besides the fact that Chiba finally made a move on Hayami and that Hayami gave Chiba a honmei chocolate on Valentine's Day, I like how I wrote these two episodes. There is a build-up of the plot before arriving to the main focus of the episode and, then, ending it right there. 
> 
> It is what I've actually been doing in this book from the start. But the stark difference of Episode 14 and 15 is that the events that followed before the main focus were, let's say, trifle. I wouldn't say that it was completely irrelevant though since I also want to show some of the couple's interactions with those around them - friends, families, even strangers, etc.
> 
> As for Hayami's chocolate-giving, as a human being, there are also inconsistencies in her behavior. She wasn't direct in giving the chocolate this time, well, mainly because as a girl, she also gets nervous and shy about these things. You gotta admit though it was tsundere of her to just leave the chocolate in his bag!


	19. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏𝟔

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "A PAINTBALL match is a good simulation of battle and strategy. It's one way of having good quality time amidst the fight."

【Ｐａｉｎｔｂａｌｌ】

**－ ＭＡＲＣＨ １２ －**   
_𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥_

As for the annual maintenance of the Class 3-E's 'home' this year, they would be having a paintball match. Karma was the one who had suggested it after finding a bunch of paintball guns and rubber knives inside the storage shed – the same ones they used before in their class civil war.

It turned out that Karasuma had gone through all the trouble of securing approval to have those delivered there. It was his gift to them for the things he learned during that one year.

For the game, they divided themselves into two teams by picking a color amongst the sticks clumped together in Isogai's hand. Chiba and Hayami, in a side ponytail, shared a look when both had gotten a red one.

"It's like you two are fated to be together," Kurahashi said in awe before latching herself onto Hayami with a grin. "At least I'm on the same team as you!"

While the others didn't care much about which team they went in, Okajima let out an outburst about being in the blue team since it terrified him to the bone to face against the top snipers. "How come they are always in the same team?" he added.

"If I didn't know better, they might have rigged the stick-picking," Karma stated with a shrug.

"That goes to show that they're inseparable," Nakamura chimed in.

The rules were the same as back then. For the most part. Their kill would be considered as such if they managed to mark their target with the team color. The team that would either get the enemy's flag or would be the last man standing wins.

The following are the players of the respective teams:

**RED TEAM**  
┎┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┒  
Karma, Chiba, Hayami, Kurahashi,

Terasaka, Okuda, Yada, Kimura,

Maehara, Mimura, Sugino, 

Muramatsu, Itona  
┖┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┚

╰☆╮

**BLUE TEAM**  
┎┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┒  
Isogai, Nagisa, Kayano, Kataoka,

Kanzaki, Nakamura, Sugaya, 

Okajima, Hara, Fuwa, Hazama, 

Yoshida, Okano, Takebayashi  
┖┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┚

With Karma as the commander of the Red Team, Terasaka, Yada, Kimura, Maehara, Sugino, Chiba, and Muramatsu were on the offense. On one hand, Hayami, Kurahashi, and Itona would be on the defense. Mimura would be doing the surveillance again.

Chiba was situated on a high position with Sugino as his lookout and Yada down below in case someone would try to sneak up from behind. From there, he took down Kanzaki, who was skulking around in the forest.

They were taken by surprise when Kataoka had barged in on their location. What they didn't know was that she was merely a decoy with Nakamura hiding away somewhere. That's why when Sugino was facing Kataoka, his arm was hit with a gun by Nakamura.

In turn, Chiba managed to shoot Nakamura at her head, which was covered by a visor. No sooner than that, Kataoka engaged in a close-combat fight with him. Yada took this as a chance to hit Kataoka on her back with a knife.

"Thanks," Chiba uttered, smiling at the brunette before heading down to where Hayami and the others were to help on the defense, per Karma's instruction.

Yada and Okuda joined Maehara's group in stealing the blue flag. Karma moved out from where their flag stood as soon as Chiba showed up on the cliff at the back to take over his post. The red head, then, followed after the attacking group to keep an eye out for the wild card player of the blue team – Nagisa.

So far, there were three dead players in the red team – Muramatsu, Sugino, and Mimura. In the blue team, four players were dead – Kanzaki, Fuwa, Nakamura, and Kataoka. That meant ten players were left in both teams.

Hidden behind a boulder, Chiba lay on his belly with the muzzle of his sniper rifle sticking out. He could see through his scope Hayami and Kurahashi guarding at the giant tree beyond the red flag. Itona caught up with the attacking team since he would be the best shot in handling Kayano.

Isogai, Sugaya, Okano, and Yoshida were already on their way to catching the enemy flag when they stopped at the sight of the red team's defense line. They concealed themselves to discuss their battle plan.

"Okano, you go scout the cliff. I'm pretty sure that Chiba is there covering the long-range. If you see him, take him out with a surprise attack. We three will try to keep the defense team busy. When you're done, regroup with what's left of us. Yoshida, you go face Kurahashi-san while I take Hayami-san. Sugaya, stay here with your gun and cover our backs."

After Isogai had assimilated their roles, they all split up. Unfortunately, Hayami had premeditated their goal, telling Kurahashi beforehand to watch out for Okano trying to go to the cliff.

Upon catching a glimpse of the brown-haired gymnast, Kurahashi gave out a hand signal. Hayami first shot Sugaya in his hiding spot before going after Okano. Chiba took over the defense line by moving to another angle that will give him a wider field of vision.

Then Ritsu announced that Mimura and Terasaka from the red team were killed.

Trying to fight Okano in knife combat would be a sure loss so Hayami opted to continue using the gun. While Okano was hopping from branch-to-branch, Hayami pulled the trigger, missing the target by a centimeter. This almost made Okano lose her footing.

 _'Did Chiba already saw me?'_ Okano thought. ' _But that shot seemed like it came from a short-range. So was that Kurahashi or Hayami who came after me?'_

Hayami swiftly moved to another position before Okano could pinpoint her. Okano started drifting again across the trees fearing that that was Hayami who had shot her. The best sniper among the girls, second to Chiba.

As she heard the succeeding rustling of leaves and branches from her sides, Okano made sporadic movements to limit the enemy's accuracy. When the noises died down except for her own, she flashed on a triumphant smile for losing her hunter.

Or so she thought.

All of a sudden, Hayami swung down from a branch two trees before her. Both hands clasping the pistol, the orange-haired sniper fired at her forehead.

On the other end, Okuda and Yada were already dead. After Itona and Kimura had defeated Kayano and Okajima, Nagisa single-handedly struck them with his blade.

Meanwhile, Chiba sniped on Hara and Hazama moving in towards the red flag. When Yoshida had charged towards Kurahashi, she marked his chest with red paint no sooner than Isogai slashed her arm. Because of the _ikemen_ 's agility, Chiba found it difficult to aim at him.

With his offense teammates wiped out, Isogai retreated to somewhere out of the sniper's range. Taking the red flag right now was not an option since he would be in plain sight. He would get shot even before he could touch the flag. And clearly, taking on the sniper duo alone would be a backbreaking challenge. His only choice would be to return to their base with the others.

Since Isogai was now solo, Chiba deemed this to be the perfect chance to strike, together with his sniping partner. But before he could climb down, Ritsu's voice had announced on his earpiece the winner of the match.

It turned out that Karma and Maehara were able to seize the blue flag.

Upon arriving at the clearing where their team's flag was, Hayami instinctively turned over her shoulder, her gaze looking ahead at the cliff. Chiba returned her gaze and, then, raised his free hand.

She did the same. With her pistol in the air. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have much experience in writing out battle scenes, so please forgive me if this episode seemed unrealistic or lacking. Although I want to write out the whole paintball match - to describe to you each scenario that took place - I don't have the luxury of time to do that. That's why I only focused on the fight scenes of the sniper duo. It's a shame since it's interesting too to give everyone in Class 3-E the spotlight in action.
> 
> I'll be writing another action episode but in a different circumstance. So it'll help if you can provide some feedback and suggestions on this episode. I can use that as reference for the next fight scene.
> 
> Now that was the first half of the Back to Partners Arc. What do you think of it so far? Unlike in the Breakup Arc, there is no general plot this time around. Just more developments in their relationship, I guess, and changes in their life during high school.
> 
> With that, see you on the second half with six more episodes. Take care.


	20. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏𝟕

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "A KISS is a lovely trick by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous." - Ingrid Bergman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if it took a while. Enjoy!

【Ｋｉｓｓ】

**－ ＭＡＲＣＨ １４ －**   
_𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥_

Chiba had asked to meet in their 'second home' although they had already been there two days ago. And so, Hayami was currently trekking up the slope of the mountain, wondering what his intentions were. Why he wanted to come here.

When she reached the top, she paused before the lone tree dwelling right outside their old classroom. Cherry blossoms hovered above her, lulling her back to that morning of their graduation day after Korosensei's...

Her thoughts were cut short when she had felt someone's gaze on her. She turned to the paneled windows where she saw a tall silhouette. With one last look at the blooming flowers, she stepped back and went inside towards the room of Class 3-E.

Leaning on what was once her desk was Chiba, the edge of his mouth curved up. He straightened up when she had begun walking closer, before transferring to his former designated seat.

Hayami sat down, her body fronting towards him and her arm resting across the chair. "Why are we here?" she asked.

"Under your desk," he said as he arched forward, crossing his arms on the desk. His left leg was slanted out since it couldn't fit anymore underneath the desk.

She eyed him for a second, somehow having a clue on what this was about, before peering down. Within the gap – where she had been previously placing her books and notebooks – was a baby blue box with a white ribbon. It has a note, which said in Latin alphabet 'RESPECT', and a drawing of a rifle gun below.

It was similar to what she had done on Valentine's.

"Thank you," she said with a smile before facing him again, back to her deadpan look.

"You could have given your White Day gift without coming here," she noted. A fair amount of time and money for bus fare had been spent especially on his part since he lived farther away.

"It's more appropriate this way," he briefly reasoned. For both of them, this classroom, even the building and the mountain, held a special place in their hearts. So he thought that it would make it meaningful if he answered her feelings here where they had grown so much together for a year.

Then he got up, pulling out with him an air gun from beneath the desk. "Besides, I want to do some shooting here," he added.

She nodded as she rose on her feet, understanding his rationale. "I see. Just like old times."

"But let's erase first those writings on the board," she said further, cocking her head to the front of the room.

During their annual cleanup, everyone wrote a message on the board addressed to Korosensei and Aguri Yukimura. There were also random doodles and artistic designs made by Sugaya and some others.

They walked up the podium and gawped across the writings until they arrived at the message on the left of the upper side that Chiba had written in his and her stead:

⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢

_Korosensei and Yukimura-sensei,_

_We are doing well, so don't worry._ _  
_

_\- Chiba + Hayami  
_

⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣ _  
_

After cleaning up the board, Chiba was about to leave when Hayami clutched his shirt, tugging him back. As soon as he turned around, both of her hands cupped his cheeks and pulled his face towards her, his lips crashing into hers.

His chest started pounding frantically, his eyes widening, as it registered to him what just happened. He glanced at her closed eyelids and flushed cheeks before breaking into a smile. He shut his own eyes as he parted his mouth. Then his hands cradled her back, bending down to deepen the kiss while her arms snaked around his neck.

As a result of Irina's English lessons, which involved kissing her students as both their punishment and reward, it wasn't awkward for them to be this intimate. They already knew what it felt like to touch lips with someone and so doing this was not unexplored territory for them.

But still, they found kissing each other – whom they actually liked – considerably amazing and remarkable compared to Irina's forced lip-locking. Both hearts going wild, they would've never thought that they could experience a lot of mixed emotions at once.

Hayami slowly opened her eyes as she tore away from his mouth. She inhaled then exhaled before looking up at him, who was still gasping for air.

When he had finally eased off, he stared back at her. Locking their gazes at each other, a pleased expression slipped on both of their faces. Then Chiba extended his hand, which she took without a word before they exited the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	21. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏𝟖

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Nothing's more hateful than failing to PROTECT the one you love." - Pavan Thanki

【Ｐｒｏｔｅｃｔ】

**－ ＪＵＮＥ －**   
_𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥_

One Saturday afternoon, a call from Karma came in. His voice was clearly troubled and tinged with uncertainty as he explained that a gang kidnapped Okuda and held her hostage in an abandoned building.

They wanted to come back at him for reporting two of their best drug dealers to the police.

The leader of the gang told Karma that they would release his girlfriend if he came to that place tonight. Alone. But their type of crowd always played dirty so he knew that they wouldn't hold their end of the bargain. Worse, they might exact their revenge on both him and Okuda after going there.

That's why he has decided to free Okuda himself with the help of some of his peers from Class 3-E. Before her captors could even lay a hand on her.

Then Karma's tone shifted – to one that was cheeky yet malignant – as he asked in finality, "So are you up for some rescuing a damsel in distress, Chiba-kun?"

The raven-haired boy couldn't refuse.

They were meeting at Karma's house – his parents away at work – to discuss their rescue plan. When Chiba had arrived, it was a slap to his face to discover that Hayami was amongst the ten people that the red head had gathered.

After laying out the details of the plan, Karma approached Chiba with a rectangular case in hand. "There are five tranquilizer darts in here," he said as he opened the case to show its contents. "Use these to your discretion as you provide support to the attacking team."

Chiba looked down at the tranquilizer case that has been placed onto his open palm. If he would be using this, then, that meant they could seriously get hurt in this operation.

Unconsciously, he glanced at Hayami, who was clutching a taser gun that reminded her of their old days. When her eyes met his, the words that he had told her from one time flashed in his mind:

**_"If you get in danger, I will protect you with my life."_ **

* * *

Initially, they were supposed to infiltrate the abandoned building and take down the enemy without causing immediate alarm. Just like what they had done in the Fukuma Palace Hotel in Okinawa.

Only this time, they didn't have their teachers to save their skin if things went south.

Yet that turned feeble when they came to know in the middle of their infiltration that the gang leader had hired three experienced fighters. He somehow found out that Karma was not a normal high school student – that he was a previously trained assassin under a government mandate.

Per Ritsu's layout search, the building has five floors with a staircase on each end. Okuda was held captive on the last floor guarded by the leader of the gang and two of his goons.

The attacking team used the fire exit to sneak their way in. After taking down the lookouts on the first floor, the team halved themselves by four as they proceeded to the stairs.

On the rooftop across the street was the support team – Mimura, Chiba, and Terasaka. Mimura would be surveying the building for the position of the enemies using heat-sensor binoculars, while Chiba would be sniping tranquilizer darts at a target whenever they entered his sight through the window. But he has to make every shot count since he only has five darts. As for Terasaka, he would be watching their backs in case someone tried to jump on them.

The second and third floors were a breeze to clear out especially the third floor since there were only two of them guarding the area. Although the small number of enemies brought Karma a nagging sensation, he went straight to the next floor, together with Nagisa, Sugino, and Kanzaki.

On the other end, Maehara had just electrocuted one of the thugs with the stun gun. "That was a piece of cake," he boasted, both hands on his hips.

"We shouldn't let our guard down just yet –" said Hayami "– as long as we're not out of the building with Okuda."

"It's as she said."

Four heads whirled towards the direction of the disembodied, gruff voice. A stocky, muscular man around their age emerged from the dark shadows with a sinister grin on his face.

"I was wondering why I was needed here to handle a bunch of high school students," the owner of the voice began as he strutted his way to them.

Stopping near Maehara, he added, "Now I see that you guys aren't normal like me."

Through the earpiece, Ritsu gave them some background on the newly-arrived enemy. According to her, he was a dropout from high school with the given name 'Rock'. He was undefeatable in mixed martial arts tournaments until he was kicked out of the league due to misbehavior.

The AI, then, added, "I suggest that you stay on high alert and exercise caution when fighting him."

Suddenly, the atmosphere turned ominous when Karma's hushed voice resounded from the earpiece.

"Attack Team B, why are you not moving up from the third floor?"

No one dared answered as they kept their eyes on the opponent, their breaths hitched in their throats.

"What is going on there? Are you in trouble?"

Finally, Maehara worked up the courage to speak despite the animosity oozing from 'Rock'. "Karma, someone showed up before us. He seemed dangerous so –" Before he could finish, a brawny fist smashed his gut that sent him flying to the wall, the hit on his head knocking him out.

Okano cried out his name, while Rock turned to the stony-faced Hayami, her hair tied to the side, whose hold on the stun gun tightened.

She could sense his strength – his power. It's on another level way above them. And there were only three of them. Well, actually two since Kimura has an important task to fulfill in this kind of situation.

Karma has specifically ordered Kimura to go to the police under two circumstances. One, after the attacking team reached the fourth floor. This would give them some time to save Okuda before the police arrived to arrest the gangsters. Who knows what the enemy would do if they still have her and they knew that the police were called? 

Two, if something bad were to happen to them or their plan got ruined. 

That's why it's up to Okano and Hayami. Despite not knowing what to do, Hayami kept her calm and strengthened her resolve.

Tilting his head sideways with his chin up, Rock said to her, "I like that cold look in your eyes, _girl_. There's no fear in them." His mouth formed a sneer. "I wonder if that will last until after I pummel your pretty face to the ground."

With a scream, Okano swung a kick on his arm. Unfazed, he glanced at her and grabbed her leg.

After being flung to the floor, the brown-haired gymnast tried to heave herself up, gritting her teeth, but the impact and the pull on her leg from earlier rendered her unable to move. With that, her eyes flickered towards Kimura. "Go ahead!" she yelled at him.

Pressing the button on her earpiece, she said further in a weak, hushed tone, "Go call the police now."

Not wasting a second, Kimura dashed off down the stairs, while Hayami launched the next attack by charging towards Rock and stabbing his chest with the stun gun.

Her mouth fell open as she watched him absorb the sparks as if he was breathing air. It turned out his rigid body could withstand electric shock.

"Nice try, _little girl_ ," Rock scoffed. Then he clutched both of her shoulders before landing a blow on her stomach with his knee.

* * *

_Shit. Shit. Shit._

Beneath his calm façade, Chiba chanted the same word in his mind. His finger on the trigger trembled as he waited impatiently for the moment that the enemy – the one that suddenly appeared on the third floor – would step within the window line.

And when he finally saw the enemy, after Maehara had been thrown to the wall, Chiba slipped on a smirk, ready to make the shot, when he heard a smash followed by a thud from behind.

Before he could fathom what's happening, a hand snatched his hoodie and tossed him away from his spot.

" _Hello, kids_ ," a grown bald man with a strapping built greeted in English. " _So you are the cause of the reeking smell in this building_."

Across the floor, Terasaka was hunching down in pain behind the enemy. Mimura was frozen by the edge when he flinched at the sound of Karma's voice in his ear.

"Support Team, can you tell me what is going on with Attack Team B? We are done here on the fourth floor and we're on our way up to where Manami is."

"K-Karma –" Mimura stuttered, eyes wide and filled with panic "– a foreigner attacked us. We are also in a pinch right now."

"What?" There was a slight pause. "I'll send Sugino and Kanzaki right now. Until then, try to hold him off."

"NO!"

The loud roar came from Terasaka, who had just raised his chest up with his elbow. "We can handle this baldy. We'll also take down the brute on the third floor after. So focus on rescuing your girlfriend. It's why we're here, right?" He smirked.

With a soft chuckle, Karma yielded at his unwavering will. "Alright."

The bald opponent guffawed at this. "How touching. You think you can defeat me? Huh?" he said in Japanese with a thick accent as he cocked one eyebrow, looking smug and full of himself. 

"Let me introduce myself," he continued while cracking his knuckles. "My name is _Marshall_. And it's a pleasure to kill all of you."

* * *

Hayami choked after her knees had dropped to the floor with a gasp. Without the super gym clothes, that they're accustomed to wearing during battle and assassination, that blow hurt like hell.

"Is that all you've got?" Rock frowned as his eyes glowered over her. "How disappointing."

She jumped away when he had thrown another punch. Then she heard Mimura saying over the transmission that the support team on the rooftop was also facing a strong enemy.

She briefly glanced at the window. That meant she shouldn't be expecting reinforcements any sooner.

When Rock had attempted a jab at her face, she evaded it by stepping to the left before doing a right side kick. He ducked and, then, spun a kick on her shin, causing her to topple to the floor.

His menacing leer hovered above her as his hand mauled for her shirt, hoisting her body into midair.

She tried to dislodge him by digging her fingernails into his wrists. She swung her legs wildly, her futile attempts making him cackle.

"Any last words?" he mocked.

**༛༛ ༛ ༛༺༻༛ ༛ ༛༛**

**_"If you get in danger, I will protect you with my life."_ **

**_She was doing her assignment in his apartment when, out-of-nowhere, Chiba blurted out those words. He was lying on the floor behind her – already done with his schoolwork – while playing with her orange waves that had grown longer over the past two years._ **

**_With a questioning look, she turned her head and glanced down at him, freeing her hair from his grasp. "Why are you suddenly saying that?"_ **

**_He stared at the ceiling as he pondered over it. "I don't know. Just felt like it," he said as he shrugged._ **

**_She lifted her eyebrow with a small smile on her face. "In that case, I'm going to make sure that won't happen so you won't have to risk yourself."_ **

**_When he had returned her smile, she bent down and, then, gave him a peck on his lips._ **

**༛༛ ༛ ༛༺༻༛ ༛ ༛༛**

Feeling the adrenaline in her body, her grip on the enemy's wrists tightened as she threw him a glare. This made him snicker in amusement.

"Finally... is that emotion in your eyes? Now, this is getting exciting!"

* * *

The least Mimura could do was to continue his role. So while Terasaka and Chiba were engaging in a hand-to-hand fight with Marshall, he turned back to the abandoned building and looked through the binoculars.

Other than Maehara, Okano was also on the ground unmoving while Hayami was struggling with the enemy. He reported this through the earpiece in hopes that someone from Karma's group would come to rescue them. But even that group was facing a dire situation on the fifth floor.

Upon hearing the third-floor situation, Chiba's mind filled with anguish raced towards Hayami. She needed him but right now he's not there to protect her.

Due to his ceaseless worry, he didn't see beforehand the incoming knife. Thanks to his quick reflexes, he was able to dodge barely enough to prevent it from inflicting a deeper wound on his cheek.

 _Now, how do I kill this bastard?_ He thought desperately as he wiped the blood off his face with his sleeve.

Their stun guns had been disarmed from them earlier, and going near the opponent would be precarious with that swinging knife. Their only option would be... He tightly held the tranquilizer dart – one of the two remaining ones – tucked inside the pocket of his pants.

But the gun was out of his reach. He would get caught first before he could touch it.

What would Karma do? Or Nagisa?

An idea sparked inside his head. Shrugging off his hoodie, he hollered, "Hey, egghead!"

Marshall turned towards him irritably.

"It looks like you're having a hard time with a bunch of kids like us. Didn't you say that you're going to kill us?"

Triggered at his taunting, Marshall bellowed, "I am going to rip off that mouth of yours!"

After taking a step, he was tackled from behind by Terasaka. He tried to attack with his knife only to find that his arm was already caught within his grappler's grasp.

"Chiba, do your thing!" Terasaka exclaimed with a snigger on his face.

Chiba nodded and, then, barreled towards the immobilized opponent, his crumpled jacket covering his hands. When he had closed the distance, a tranquilizer dart popped out on his right hand, making its way to the enemy's neck.

Then Terasaka released Marshall whose knees flopped to the ground. He watched Chiba unleash his pent up anger by throwing a right hook on Marshall's face, knocking his limp body down.

Afterward, Chiba rushed to his sniping position, picking up the rifle on the way. He poised the gun below his collarbone just as Mimura peeked through the binoculars to assist in his aim.

Right on time, Mimura saw Hayami's silhouette running away. She was being followed by a muscular man when he turned up the window – right into Chiba's line of sight.

"I'm here," Chiba said over the earpiece, which everyone, who heard it, found odd.

* * *

Before Rock could bash her head with his fist, she stepped on his chest as she spun her right leg, hitting his left temple. When his grip on her had loosened, she used up all of her strength to pry his fingers off her.

Upon touching the ground, she sprinted away from him before stopping on her feet and turning around to him with coiled fists.

Rock rubbed the side of his face where she had kicked him as he focused his gaze on her. "I was planning to kill you peacefully, you know," he said, his legs striding towards her. "But now I can see that you're not backing down, I'm gonna have to make you suffer."

Hayami stood still, her heart beating fast. And yet she knew that Rock wouldn't have his way because...

"I'm here."

In the blink of an eye, something zipped past the window to Rock's arm. When he had turned to take a look, his body fell to a kneeling position.

He looked back at Hayami, face filled with fury, before yanking the tranquilizer off of him. "Little girl, you're gonna regret this," he grumbled as he strained to fight the effects of the drug.

"Why won't you shut up already?"

Over his shoulder, Okano struck him with the stun gun that has been set to maximum. This made him jerk violently until he face-planted to the floor, unconscious, much to everyone's relief.

"Okano, you can move now," Hayami remarked.

Okano let out a huff as she placed a hand on her hip. "I only needed some time to shake off the shock from my body. Other than a mild sprain on my ankle, I'm fine," she said.

Then she turned her head to Maehara, who was still out cold. "He needed more than that though," she muttered before limping her way towards him, crouching down, and resting his head on her lap.

"Are you guys alright?"

Both of them looked at the stairs where three of their friends had arrived in. Terasaka scrambled to Okano and Maehara, while Hayami's eyes immediately found Chiba, who broke into a jog to her position.

He was quietly scanning her from head-to-toe when Mimura asked, "Were you hurt anywhere, Hayami-san?"

"I'm alright," she replied stiffly.

"Your neck..." Chiba uttered under his breath, his gaze glued on the claw marks on her skin that was almost hidden by her shirt and her hair over her shoulder.

She blinked, hiding the sting of the wound underneath her blank expression. "It was when I was grabbed earlier. It's no big deal."

He tilted his chin down as he gritted his teeth and clenched his hands. "I'm sorry if I took too long," he said with a shriveling tone.

"You still saved me." She gave him a reassuring smile. "Thank you for protecting me."

Police sirens started wailing outside, its red and blue lights illuminating the building. Mimura walked to the window to take a peek.

Recalling their objective, Terasaka turned on his earpiece. He said, "Hey Karma, I'm going up there."

"We don't need your help anymore, meat-head. We are done here," Karma replied.

Terasaka thrust his knuckles up. Oh, how he badly wanted to beat the red head to a pulp right now.

"I was being earnest here, you know!" he fumed.

They could all hear Karma laughing and him saying after, "Yeah. That is why I want to thank everyone. I couldn't have done this alone."

* * *

After receiving treatment from the medical team, they were brought to the police station for further questioning. As for Maehara, although he had regained consciousness, he was still sent to the hospital for his bleeding head.

Karasuma and Irina also came to fix the leak on the Class 3-E's past. If the gangsters hadn't known about it, then, they wouldn't have bothered to include professional fighters in their act of revenge.

Of course, the students once again received a dressing-down from Karasuma for their rashness and misplaced bravery. But he couldn't deny the fact that if it weren't for them acting on their own, the perpetrators would have done harm to both Okuda and Karma. Or worse.

"Rinka!"

While being interrogated by a police officer, Rinka spun over her seat. She saw her mother hurrying towards her until a pair of hands held both of her shoulders.

Stern, emerald eyes examined her face then at her bandaged neck. "What happened?" she blurted out with an appalled look.

"It's just scratch marks. Nothing serious," Rinka answered in a monotone.

With a sigh of relief, Mrs. Hayami said, "Thank goodness, you're okay."

Then she let go as she gave her daughter a firm stare. "But that was reckless. Why didn't you just leave everything to the police?" she berated.

"It would've been too late. They would've already hurt Okuda by then."

Mrs. Hayami's forehead creased as her lips trembled. "Still, I can't lose you too," she whispered.

"Okuda is a friend of ours. Everyone in Class E would've done the same if it was me."

 _'What a terrifying bond they have_ ,' Mrs. Hayami thought as a defeated smile crossed her face.

She, then, turned to the raven-haired boy seated beside Rinka. "I heard from one of your friends that you saved my daughter," she said. "I can't thank you enough for that."

With this, he replied, "Just keeping my promise." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	22. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟏𝟗

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Her VOICE was so smooth and soothing, sultry, that was music to my ears." ~ Saskia Griffith

【Ｖｏｉｃｅ】

**－ ＮＯＶＥＭＢＥＲ －**   
_𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥_

Other than the old building of Kunugigaoka Junior High, Chiba also made a promise to himself that he would do yearly inspection on the nursery with its expansion designed by him.

On his third visit, he saw to it to bring only Hayami as this would be a perfect chance to spend time together. Seeing each other has been seldom because of her approaching college entrance exam.

"Rin-nee-san, please read this book to me," a young girl named Fumiko pleaded as she hefted a hard-bound book towards Hayami.

Hayami threw a hesitant look at Chiba, who was repairing the roundabout plaything in the indoor amusement center. It would be rude if she were to leave him working alone.

Waving the hammer in his hand, he told her, "Go ahead. I'll be fine."

With a bob of her head, she allowed Fumiko to pull her hand towards the library. There, she sat on a pillow as Fumiko enthusiastically bounced from her seat. Slipping on a smile, she opened the book and started reading the story aloud,

"Once upon a time..."

As the story dragged on, more children joined in to listen to her. This made her feel sheepish and flustered, but she steeled herself as she continued the storytelling.

When the nursery teacher had come in to announce that it was lunchtime, all of the children surrounding Hayami on the floor voiced out their protests.

"We can continue later if you eat your lunch properly," Hayami assured the frowning children.

With this, their faces lit up and they scurried their way out the door.

* * *

Hayami carried their bento boxes to the tree outside where Chiba was sitting underneath. After plopping down across him, she placed a blanket on the grass and, on top of it, their lunch that she prepared this morning.

He, then, opened his bento, which contained hard-boiled eggs and beef stroganoff. Their favorite dishes in one meal.

After expressing their 'thanks' for the food, Chiba began to eat, while Hayami merely stared at him. She said, "We just had our career consultation in my school."

He hummed, prompting her to continue.

"And I have decided to go to Sanno University."

His chopsticks stopped midway to his mouth as he glanced at her. That school was one of the nearest universities from TokyoTech. Knowing that, in addition to the lunch she had made, has made him greatly...

"Are you going to move in the area?" he asked.

"Yeah. It's why I've been saving up my earnings," she replied before proceeding to her meal.

"Shall we go look for a place together?"

The corners of her mouth quirked up as she met his gaze. She said, "I'd like that."

... happy.

* * *

When they had gone back inside, Fumiko and two other kids approached them with a book each in their hands.

"Rin-nee-san, read this book for us!" Fumiko yapped as she hopped up-and-down like a bunny.

"And this one next!" another kid exclaimed, holding a book up to Hayami, followed by the third kid.

Now, three children were enclosing around her as they pressed on their requests. Beside her, Chiba simply watched the scene in amusement.

"They seem to take a liking on you," he pointed out.

Hayami averted her gaze from Fumiko, who was embracing her legs, and towards Chiba. "They said that they like listening to my voice when I read a story," she said.

"I like the sound of your voice too. It's pleasant and soothing."

Dumbstruck at his compliment, she looked back at Fumiko, who had been eyeing the two of them the whole time. "Ah! Rin-nee-san is blushing!" the young girl proclaimed, her finger pointing at Hayami's face.

This caught the attention of the other two kids, making Hayami's cheeks go redder.

"Is it because of Ryuu-nii-san?" Fumiko asked as she gawped at her, eyes brimming with curiosity.

"Yes," Hayami replied with a straight face, wondering where the child was going on with this.

Fumiko gave Chiba a peek. "Does this mean that you like him?"

Biting on her lip, Hayami stared at the children who all looked eager for her answer. She, then, shared a glance with him. He only shrugged, also clueless as she was.

After heaving out a sigh, she crouched down before them and said, "I do."

The children were thrilled to hear that. Fumiko clasped both Chiba and Hayami's hand with each of her own and dragged them to the playroom. The other two skipped before them while singing alternatively,

"Rin-nee-san likes Ryuu-nii-san!"

"Ryuu-nii-san loves Rin-nee-san's soothing voice!"

And upon hearing that, Chiba and Hayami were now dying from both embarrassment and regret. They probably shouldn't have told the kids those things. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	23. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟐𝟎

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I can MOURN internally, just be quiet about it. I have my moments but I'm not a real, expressive person, especially when it comes to like sadness." ~ Faith Evans

【Ｍｏｕｒｎ】

**－ ＤＥＣＥＭＢＥＲ －**  
_𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥_

A tragedy took place nearly before Christmas and it has changed Hayami's life entirely.

She was in school at that time attending class when she got called to the principal's office. Upon entering the room, she sensed the heavy atmosphere and the grim expressions of both the principal and her class adviser.

When she had taken a seat on the couch, everything else became a blur as the principal's first words echoed into her mind loud and clear:

"Hayami-san, I just received news about your mother. She was involved in a car accident. Unfortunately, she didn't make it."

She was permitted to leave school early. After checking her mother's body in the morgue, she went straight home, already planning her next steps and funeral arrangements on the way.

But as soon as she went to the doorstep, her eyes drifted towards the hallway and stopped on the door of her mother's bedroom.

Her blank façade collapsing, she started crying.

* * *

On the day of the wake ceremony, Kurosawa and Inoue – her friends in high school – as well as Chiba came to share their condolences. Among the few distant relatives that attended, her mother's younger sister was her only close family despite not meeting her before.

Her mother said that she and her father had eloped from her mother's strict parents, who wanted her to inherit the family business against her will. Since then, she has lost contact with any of her relatives including her sister.

When they were the only ones left in the mortuary, Chiba reached out for her hand as they stood in silence before the altar. She squeezed back as she understood what he wanted to convey.

She was not alone. She has him, her friends, and the Class 3-E family, who would lend her a hand if she was in trouble. Whenever she needed someone, she knew that she could always run to him.

That was enough to make her feel calm in spite of the resurging loneliness and mourning inside her.

The funeral service was held on the next day. Everyone in Class 3-E including Karasuma and Irina was there during the memorial.

Somehow, Hayami found herself lucky for having them here. She would've never thought that there would come a day when she would be this grateful for having a lot of company filled with people that she could count on.

It was after the burial of the ashes when her aunt approached Hayami. She reckoned that considering Hayami was about to turn eighteen and was almost going to college, it wouldn't be wise to take her into her house, which was located outside Tokyo. Far away from everything that she had grown up with.

Hayami agreed with her. That's why she would be living independently from now on. Her aunt would be providing for her college fees, and as for her other expenses, she would have to rely on her mother's insurance and other assets.

* * *

Passing by the family gravestones on New Year's Day, Hayami made careful steps across the stony path with Chiba on her side.

They paused in front of the two graves that have engravings of her father and mother's names. They cleaned them together before placing fresh incense, flowers, and snacks.

Afterward, Hayami quietly expressed her prayers. She told them updates about her aunt, who has been keeping in touch. Then she assured her father that she's been doing well thanks to her mother who had been taking care of her by herself all these years.

Although these past weeks were not easy, it had been at least tolerable thanks to the people closest to her. One time, Nakamura, Yada, and Kurahashi had gone over to her house for a sleepover. They watched a movie, eat a lot of snacks, and chatted all night long until they fell asleep at 3 a.m.

Even her high school friends had accompanied her on her visits twice to the pet shop to cuddle with the cats there. They also had gone to the cat café where Hayami had ended up hoarding almost all of the cats for herself.

Karasuma assisted Hayami in going through the formalities of the funeral and the insurance. He even recommended a lawyer to her for legal matters on her inheritance. As for Irina, she dropped by her house occasionally with food that she had cooked to check up on her.

Then there was Chiba, who didn't give her any words of consolation or sweet assurances. Instead, whenever he hanged out in her home, he would merely surprise her with a kiss on her cheek. On their practice sessions, he would offer to extend their hours if he noticed that she wasn't in the mood to go back just yet – back to her house with no one else there. And on some nights, he would call her and play some music with his bass guitar through the phone until he heard Hayami yawn.

Chiba, then, bent down on one knee before her parents' graves. She opened her eyes as she put down her hands and looked at him.

For several seconds, he stared at the tombstones as if talking to them. After that, he said, "In college –" he turned his head towards her "– let's live together."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	24. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟐𝟏

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "When you come out of the STORM, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm is all about." ~ Haruki Murakami

【Ｓｔｏｒｍ】

**－ ＪＡＮＵＡＲＹ －**   
_𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥_

Since Chiba went to a high school that is affiliated with his dream university, he didn't need to take the national university exam today. But it was a different case for Hayami.

A heavy snowfall went down this morning while she was on her way to the exam hall, wearing a scarf and a pair of gloves. And even though the transportation facilities were supposed to be having delays, her bus ride still managed to arrive on time.

As expected, she was able to answer most of the problems in the test. She just hoped that she got them correct as she had thought them to be.

After the exam, she went to the bus stop. The storm has somewhat calmed down although the streets were still filled with thick layers of snow. It had been quite an endeavor traveling on foot, but she endured it – one by one she stomped through the white sheet as she haled her body forward.

When the bus was now slowing down to her stop, she stood up from her seat and tapped her IC card before climbing down. She was about to take a step when she felt something got stuck.

Turning over her shoulder, her lucky charm had been jammed between the bus doors. Along with an apology, the driver opened the doors, releasing the charm. She responded by raising her hand and dipping her head politely.

After walking a few steps, a snowball suddenly whished past her. She glanced to her right to see some children playing a snowball fight. Were it not for the fact that the lucky charm had been caught earlier, she would've gotten hit right now.

 _'His charm had been working wonders today,'_ she thought.

Smiling to herself, she continued her way to the restaurant.

* * *

"How was it?"

Hayami took off her coat and scarf before sitting down on the seat opposite Chiba. She removed her gloves as she said, "I managed."

"I already ordered you some food. Figured you might be hungry."

Looking at the steak before her, the corner of her mouth turned up. "Thanks," she told him before digging in to which he also did with his chicken fillet.

When Hayami had finished, she took a glimpse at the window. It started snowing again. Although it would be smart to take their leave right now before it became worse, this time, she wanted to loosen up. And just let things be.

"We should start looking for a place," Chiba pointed out after swallowing his last bite. He, then, took a gulp of water.

Her eyes glued on the falling snow, she replied, "Let's do it next week."

"Have you found a buyer for the house?"

"Not yet. But someone will be checking the house tomorrow. I hope that he buys it."

He paused, then, said, "I wonder how everyone did in the test."

She shifted her head towards him. "This is Class E we're talking about. I'm sure they did more than fine."

"Especially for Karma," Chiba said with a smile.

Then a notification popped up on both of their phones. They checked it up at the same time.

Speaking of the devil, it was Karma with a proposal for everyone.

"A graduation trip huh," said Chiba.

"And it's on Phnon in Southeast Asia," Hayami added.

As they sent their reply to the group chat, they noticed the worried expressions of the other diners. The two of them followed their gaze to the window. It turned out the snow was falling heavily outside.

 _'Ah, it ran out,'_ Hayami thought as her eyes fluttered to the charm tied to her bag.

"I guess we'd be staying here for much longer." Chiba raised his arm and called for the waitress.

He, then, gave Hayami a look. "Do you want coffee?" 

🐘

𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of developments happened. Their first kiss, and now they'll be living together in college. Hmm... what more can progress between Chiba and Hayami? 
> 
> Only one episode left for the Back to Partners Arc. Stay tuned!


	25. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟐𝟐

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Brevity is the soul of LINGERIE." ~ Dorothy Parker

【Ｌｉｎｇｅｒｉｅ】

**－ ＭＡＲＣＨ －  
** _𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧_

Everyone in Class 3-E was going on their graduation trip in Phnon, Southeast Asia. It was also where Kayano was having her film shoot for her new role. That's why Karma had particularly suggested going there – for her to be able to join them.

Although they just met last December at the funeral of Hayami's mother, it had been a while since they would be gathering for something fun.

Neither Hayami nor Chiba could deny their thrill for this trip.

"Hayami, you cut your hair!"

When Hayami had shown up at the airport, Nakamura was the one who first spotted her despite her short hair that was once previously reaching her lower back.

Upon hearing the blonde's outburst, the rest of the girls turned towards Hayami before flocking around her and sprinkling her with compliments and questions about her new look.

"Have you known about this?" Sugaya asked Chiba, who had arrived there beforehand.

With a nod, Chiba answered, "She wanted to have a fresh change, and cutting her hair makes her feel cool in summer."

"How convenient since we're going to a tropical country now," Sugaya said as they made their way to the line for the body and baggage inspection.

* * *

It was already in the afternoon when the plane had touched down on the foreign soil of Phnon. They went to the hotel first and, then, spent the rest of the day wandering around to look for the location of Kayano's shooting.

And when they did, they went there on the next day, which was posted at a designated World Heritage Site. Their appearance took Kayano by surprise.

Due to a dispute between Director Nathonni and the line producer, the line producer left the set together with the rest of the staff that he had gathered. Because of that, Class 3-E had to volunteer to help with the shooting.

Then they went out sightseeing after filming. For their last destination that night, they rode on a cruise ship that floated on the river across the city.

Everybody slowly made their way inside to the restaurant where you could also view the scenery of the riverside. A landscape that you could only find in a tropical place was displayed before them with large banyan trees and scattered duckweed floating upon the river surface. Along the shoreline were a lot of restaurant terraces with their colorful lights.

While they enjoyed their dinner, a group of female dancers in bikinis performed on the stage. Afterward, live mood music started playing.

Customers went to the middle and danced in pairs. Standing up, Maehara extended his hand towards Okano. "Hey, let's dance," he said.

When he had pulled her up, Okano resisted. "No way, I can't dance."

She eventually gave in upon his urging. After moving to the dance floor, Okano followed Maehara's movements, committing mistakes every now and then. He still praised her for that as he continued to show her more general moves.

"Yowza! You two are hot!" Muramatsu teased, which has made Okano fall silent and lose her rhythm.

Then Maehara yelled over to his Class 3-E peers, "Hey, everyone else should dance, too! Just rock your bodies to the music and you'll be alright!"

Chiba and Hayami exchanged a look before standing up and joining the rest of Class 3-E. Since Hayami was already a good dancer, it was a piece of cake for her – moving her arms and legs gracefully as if she was in her own world.

On one hand, Chiba struggled on his two left feet awkwardly. Hayami, then, smiled at him reassuringly before holding both of his hands to guide him to the right momentum.

After that, they glided away from the dancing crowd and to the railings overlooking the evening riverside. The moon that was nearly restored to its usual shape hanged above the buildings and city lights. Odd enough, it felt like Korosensei was watching over them right now.

Chiba stole a glance at Hayami, who was occupied at the view. In spite of the relaxing feeling that was settling inside him, he was still somewhat worried over his girlfriend's behavior for the past recent weeks.

He couldn't pinpoint exactly what's wrong. All he knew was she had done some weird stuff amongst other things that he was accustomed to.

"We went here to take a picture for our graduation album," she said.

He nodded as he rested his arms on the railing, facing ahead at the city lights. "Good thing we were able to come back here. Last time we didn't have the time to go sightseeing."

"It's a shame." A nostalgic expression crossed her face. "This would've been a good place for assassination."

* * *

On the third day of their graduation trip, Class 3-E continued to offer their assistance to Kayano's film shoot. For the next scene, Director Nathonni had rented a golden Buddha statue.

The statue was a precious item worshipped in one of the villages. Already several hundred years old, it was considered a national treasure and a work of art.

While the shoot was going on, someone had replaced the Buddha statue with a fake. Class 3-E went to investigate who the culprit was.

They found out that the one who stole the statue was the leader of a bandit group, disguised as one of the staff. In the end, they retrieved the statue from the bandits and Kayano was able to finish the final scene of the shoot.

There was still time for them to explore around a bit more.

When night fell, they went back to the hotel. Some of them spent their remaining time in the recreation center, while there are those who enjoyed themselves in the pool.

But for Hayami, she has a different plan for her and Chiba tonight.

The rooms that Nakamura had managed to reserve for the girls were good for two persons only. Due to their odd number, Hayami offered to have one room by herself since the others seemed eager in having their friends as their roommates.

Hayami didn't mind though. To be honest, it served as a perfect chance to execute her plan.

She hoped that it would work this time.

**༛༛ ༛ ༛༺༻༛ ༛ ༛༛**

**_A month ago, she caught up with Nakamura and Yada in a café after several months of not seeing each other. They first talked about their college and career paths until Nakamura brought up Hayami's dating life. As expected._ **

**_She asked Hayami about their progress of 'intimacy'. When she had heard her reply, she was baffled._ **

**_"Are you kidding me?" she cried, jumping up from her seat and not minding the mixed stares from the other customers._ **

**_At first, Hayami was confused as to the blonde's overreaction. That was until Nakamura, upon sitting back down, elaborated it for her._ **

**_"Every guy wants to do it with their partner. You've been together for, what, around four years? I think that's more than enough for Chiba to wait. Right, Touka?"_ **

**_"I read in some article that most couples who are dating for at least a year have already done it," said Touka._ **

**_With her famous poker face, Hayami stated, "If he really wants to do it, he should've said it by now."_ **

**_"It's not that simple!" Nakamura burst out, attracting attention for the second time._ **

**_Behind the counter, the cashier was already contemplating whether he should ask them to leave, which Yada had noticed. She gave Nakamura a light pat and warned her that she was causing a scene._ **

**_Nakamura crossed her arms, returning her cool, as she raised her eyebrow. "Chiba must have been having a difficult time holding back this long. And if a guy suffers too much, your relationship is at risk," she continued._ **

**_"That's why –" she put on a smug grin "– you must give in and pop that cherry!"_ **

**_Her loud proclamation was the last straw for the cashier._ **

**_When the cashier had approached their table, Nakamura raised her hand dismissively. "No need for that. I'll be taking my leave anyway," she told him as she shouldered her bag._ **

**_Then she glanced at her friends and bid them goodbyes before exiting the shop._ **

**_Elbows propped up on the table, Yada placed her hands under her chin. "You don't need to take Rio's word seriously. I'm sure Chiba would understand if you still don't want to do it," she told Hayami._ **

**_'That's the thing,' Hayami thought. 'He always understands.' And she knew that he wouldn't make the first move unless she did something._ **

**༛༛ ༛ ༛༺༻༛ ༛ ༛༛** **_  
_ **

Following that day, Hayami searched online for ways of seducing a man. She tried different methods and all had been futile:

** Tip #1: Make Eye Contact With Him Frequently **

**_Every time Hayami would do this, Chiba had mistaken her for wanting to kiss or to hold hands. No more than that._ **

** Tip #2: Wear Clothes That Flatter Your Figure **

**_She wore a short dress that hugged her figure on one of their dates. Chiba was stunned when he had seen her in that outfit. But when they went to the shooting grounds, Hayami was now feeling utter regret for wearing a discomfiting dress that restricted her aim. She ended up missing a lot of shots, her frustration thereby making her forget her objective on that day._ **

** Tip #3: Leave Your Fragrance **

**_Putting on a perfume had only made him sneeze a lot whenever they were close together. She eventually stopped, feeling guilty for making him go through that._ **

** Tip #4: Ask Personal Questions & Offer Information **

**_"What turns you on?"_ **

**_They were lounging around in the living room of her house when she had asked him that. He froze on his seat and faced her with his mouth gaped open._ **

**_He, then, cleared his throat. "Uhmm... why are you suddenly asking that?"_ **

**_"For no reason. Just wondering."_ **

**_"Since I don't have that much –" he was now getting antsy at the topic "– experience, I don't know what to answer."_ **

**_At that moment, she felt embarrassed for asking such question out-of-the-blue. It would probably be better if they don't touch on the topic further._ **

She also tested other techniques with no success. Because of that, she began to wonder if the problem is with her. Maybe she wasn't attractive enough or she didn't have any sex appeal.

Well, she would find that out tonight with her bold attempt. Hopefully, she'd succeed.

She was taking one last look in the mirror inside her room when she had heard a knock. Her fingers nimbly tied her robe around her body before her bare feet scuttled to the main door.

"Why did you ask me to come here?" Chiba asked right after she had swung the door open.

When he had seen her in a thin layer of clothing, his head turned to the side. "Was I too early? I can wait here outside for you to finish dressing up."

Hayami stepped back as she said, "It's okay. I don't plan on putting on any more clothes." Then she walked further inside while he shut the door behind him before trailing after her.

She sat on the queen size bed, her one hand tapping on the space beside her. "Sit down," she ordered nonchalantly.

After doing so, he gave her a quizzical look. "What are we doing?" Are they going to watch TV? Or perhaps have a casual talk?

Instead of answering, Hayami leaned closer towards him and captured his lips. This caught him off guard completely albeit he quickly recovered as his hand made its way on her neck, tilting his head to gain more entrance into her mouth.

When he had felt her arms moving around, he opened his eyes out of curiosity. He pulled away upon seeing her unbound robe and her brazen body in black lingerie.

"What are you doing?" He yanked her robe to a close to conceal her sensual figure.

She held his wrist, her emerald eyes staring right into him. "Let's have sex tonight," she said.

"Wha–" He gulped. "Are you sure about that?"

She nodded in reply.

With a sigh, his grip on her robe loosened. It's not as if he didn't want to. He just didn't expect her to be the one to initiate it.

"If that's what you want."

Leaving no time to spare, Chiba prodded her onto the bed and, then, hovered over her as he pinned her arms above her head.

His eyes glossed over her shocked face, with short orange strands splayed out, before going down to her neck and further to her chest covered with a thin layer of lace.

 _'Beautiful_ ,' he thought exasperatedly.

Since his bangs were suspended away from his face, Hayami was given a clear view of his serious expression. It seemed like she was under a spell, captivated, by his intense maroon gaze.

When he had stooped lower and closer to her, she shut her eyes tight. She heard him whispered in her ear,

"Your hands are trembling."

Just as her eyes flew open, she saw him let out a small smirk before planting a kiss on her forehead.

He sat upright while she heaved herself up on the bed. With her mind still in a daze, he queried, "What made you think of doing this?"

Gawking at her bare legs, she reasoned, "Since we've been together for so long, I thought that it's proper for us to do it right now."

"I don't mind waiting if you're not ready yet."

She turned towards him. "That's the point." She pursed her lips as lines etched on her forehead with unease. "I did this so you won't have to restrain yourself anymore."

_So that explains her recent odd behavior._

He glanced down, then, took her hand in his and started twiddling her fingers. "Don't worry about that. It's not a problem for me." He raised his chin as his eyes met hers behind that fringe. "I'm perfectly happy just by being with you."

A smile floated on her lips. "Can you sleep here with me tonight?" she asked softly.

He hummed followed by lying down beside her. She rested her head on his shoulder as his arm scooped around her back.

With her eyes closed, she said in a hushed tone, "Good night, Chiba."

His gaze lingered on her peaceful state as he replied, "Good night."

* * *

Chiba woke up from his slumber when he felt something soft and squishy in his palm. Wondering what it was, he took a glimpse at the unmoving figure beside him.

Before it could register to him what he was touching on the other side, with Hayami's back blocking his view, he gave it a light squeeze when she stirred as she let out a sharp breath.

 _Don't tell me_ – He drew his hand up just as she turned over her shoulder.

"Didn't you say that you are going to wait?" she stated with a teasing smile, still bleary-eyed.

"It wasn't on purpose," he said in defense, his ears tinged red, while his arm was still awkwardly up.

Her eyes slanted as she moved closer. "You can touch it more if you want," she said alluringly.

Mouth turning up, he clutched her hand planted on his chest. How gratifying it was for him to see her first thing in the morning. "You're such a tease."

"Clearly, you're not affected."

He chuckled and said, "Well, you almost got me last night."

🐘

𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for completing the second arc of this book. 
> 
> Although I had some things to say about Episode 17-21, I'm feeling lazy to write it all out here. So I'm just going to comment on the death of Hayami's mother a little bit and on Episode 22.
> 
> The reason why I 'killed' her mother in this story is because I wanted to give background on her mother's past. The strict upbringing of her mother's parents was the cause of her mother's high standards on Hayami especially that she was under pressure and anxiety as a single parent.
> 
> It was also due to the fact that her mother wanted Hayami to grow up capable of being independent since you'll never know what could happen in the future (like what happened to Hayami's father). So I thought it's a good idea to bring up all of that in the appearance of her mother's sister on the funeral.
> 
> I'm going to admit that I actually searched 'how to seduce men' online for the sake of Episode 22. Having a weird browser history is one of the perks of being a writer.
> 
> And, I'm not that confident in the outcome of that episode especially on the last part. I know that the 'boob-touching accident' is already a trope but I thought it would be at least humorous to write it out so why not.
> 
> I had to hold myself back from making the story 'too sweet' and 'too sexy' since Chiba and Hayami are not that kind of couple. Some tease and bits are, I think, okay so that's what I've been mostly doing.
> 
> Now about the final arc, Grown Up Arc, they're going to be living together as college students. I had to search if people in Japan are tolerant of unmarried couples cohabiting together. Generally, it brings a bad image and the parents will usually not permit to it but there are instances when a couple decides to live together with the prospect of getting married in the future. In that case, the parents (if persuaded well enough) will give their blessing.
> 
> There are also those who live together and are mistaken to be siblings by their neighbors. Of course, the couple won't bother to correct them since cohabitation without marriage is mostly frowned upon.
> 
> Despite that, Chiba and Hayami will be cohabiting in my story. Since Hayami's mother is gone, only Chiba's parents would be able to object to their decision. I was actually thinking of writing a special episode about this – where Chiba talks to his parents about living together with Hayami and also asking permission from Hayami's aunt. Just to give you a picture about what happened.
> 
> Also, one character from the original Assassination Classroom is going to appear once again in the next arc. Take a guess on who it is.
> 
> I hope you are enjoying the story so far. Constructive criticisms or just wholesome comments are highly appreciated.
> 
> Third and final arc coming up!


	26. ░ 𝔾ℝ𝕆𝕎ℕ 𝕌ℙ 𝔸ℝℂ ░

**ＥＰＩＳＯＤＥＳ  
**

▂ ▃ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ █ ▇ ▆ ▅ ▄ ▃ ▂

**(𝟸𝟹): 𝚆𝚎𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐**

**(𝟸𝟺): 𝙰𝚕𝚌𝚘𝚑𝚘𝚕**

**(𝟸𝟻): 𝙼𝚒𝚍𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝**

**(𝟸𝟼): 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜**

**(𝟸𝟽): 𝚂𝚘𝚗𝚐**

**(𝟸𝟾): 𝙳𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚛**

**(𝟸𝟿): 𝚁𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚗𝚝**

**(𝟹𝟶): 𝙵𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜**

**(𝟹𝟷): 𝙰𝚙𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚢**

**(𝟹𝟸): 𝚂𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚜**

**(𝟹𝟹): 𝙿𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝**

**(𝟹𝟺): 𝙵𝚎𝚊𝚛**

**(𝟹𝟻): 𝚃𝚊𝚕𝚔**

**(𝟹𝟼): 𝙰𝚍𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚜**

▂ ▃ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ █ ▇ ▆ ▅ ▄ ▃ ▂


	27. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟐𝟑

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "On a WEDDING, there's never a happily ever after, just the beginning of more."

【Ｗｅｄｄｉｎｇ】

_𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞_

"Karasuma Tadaomi, do you take Irina Jelavic to be your wife?"

The groom, now holding a managerial position in the Ministry of Defense, wore a classic black suit, his dark spiky hair swept back. His piercing dark eyes flitted away from the officiant and towards the ravishing bride before him.

"I do."

"Irina Jelavic, do you take Karasuma Tadaomi to be your husband?"

Irina's hair, adorned with red roses, was tied up, blonde curls lying on her shoulder. Her A-line white gown was designed with a frosted lace, overlaid with a full soft tulle skirt. It has an off-shoulder neckline and semi-sheer bodice accented in moonstone and crystal beading.

They were surrounded by the sea and sand, decorations, and guests consisting of their former students in Class 3-E, colleagues, some close superiors, few relatives, and friends. Despite all of that, for her, there were only two people right now in front of everyone ready to commit themselves to this matrimony promised for a lifetime.

Three years... That's how long they have been together both at work and at home. It took a year and a half since they first met for the groom to profess his romantic feelings for her. It took him one year to finally decide to tie the knot.

And then for the past three months, she devoted herself to the planning and a whole lot of other preparations for this day – their wedding.

She specifically chose Okinawa Island as the venue, where she had begun to acknowledge her kindling feelings for him during that summer. It was also when they had their first dinner 'date' set up by the meddlesome octopus teacher and their students.

For this very special moment of her life, she felt nothing but sheer joy.

Her light blue eyes were shimmering when she had touched Karasuma's cheek lovingly. She answered, "I do."

Then they exchanged their vows and rings. Amongst the thirteen bridesmaids clad in wine red dresses, Kurahashi burst into tears at the heart-rending scene before her. Having completely moved on from her crush on Karasuma, she was genuinely happy for the marrying couple.

"This is too much for me," she cried out as she leaned on Yada's well-endowed chest.

"Having pledged their fidelity to one another, to love, honor, and cherish one another in the presence of this gathering and by the authority vested in me by the constitution and the laws of this state, it is my honor to now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

When the officially married couple sealed their kiss, Hayami clapped her hands with a smile. Her face broke into utter shock when Irina had pulled Karasuma deeper through the nape of his neck, prolonging their French kiss.

She licked her lips coyly after breaking apart from him, who was now peeved at her wanton spectacle in front of everyone.

The officiant said awkwardly, "Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my honor to be the first to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Karasuma."

"That's Bitch-sensei for you," Nakamura, from the right, stated with disbelief.

"She really hasn't changed," replied Hayami.

Afterward, they proceeded to the reception. Hayami joined Chiba on their assigned table together with Kurahashi, Yada, and Nakamura. Okajima, Kimura, and Sugaya were also with them as the partners of the bridesmaids respectively.

When their lunch had been served, they chatted to no end while eating since it was a rare occasion for them to see each other and have this much time to talk.

NAKAMURA: I wonder which of us is going to get married next.

KURAHASHI: Hara-chan wanted to be a housewife, right? It'd be no surprise if she became one before us.

YADA: I heard that she's dating Yoshida-kun.

NAKAMURA: Oh yeah. It took Yoshida so long before asking her out.

YADA: It would also probably take a while for them to get married.

KURAHASHI: How about you, Rinka-chan? How is it living together with Chiba as a couple?

Everyone's eyes were now on the stoic pair sitting beside each other.

Four months living in the same apartment was a mix of mostly good and little bad for both of them. Even if they blended well in doing chores and sharing expenses due to their good working relationship, they have come to realize their minimal differences – the ones that you would only discover if you cohabit under the same roof.

For one, whenever the toothpaste they use was about to run out, Chiba would roll it up while Hayami preferred to squeeze the contents to the top. In doing the laundry, they agreed to wash both of their clothes in one batch. And since it's quite embarrassing to wash each other's underwear, they do their own undergarments separately. But Chiba sometimes mixed some of his dark clothes to the light ones and occasionally forgot to take out his briefs from his laundry.

Then there's Hayami who, once in a while, would go back in the apartment late at night. Entirely exhausted from school and her part-time job, she would doze right off on the couch instead of in her room. If by chance, Chiba stepped out of his room and saw her, he would carry her bridal-style to her bed.

What's more, Hayami would push herself to do housework despite having her hands full already with her dual responsibilities in college and work. Even after Chiba had initiated to do it in her stead, she wouldn't budge, making him worry all the more about her health.

And yet, their answer came out as contradicting to their concerns that jotted inside their memory.

HAYAMI: We are doing alright.

CHIBA: I couldn't agree more.

Because at the end of the day, being with each other overweighed the negative side of things. To be precise, both were perfectly enjoying their experience of living together in the same apartment.

Although dissatisfied, Nakamura didn't probe on it further since it would be useless to try getting more out of them. At least she knew they were telling the truth.

* * *

After the bridal waltz, Irina walked up to her former students and urged them to dance. She, then, grabbed the poor Takebayashi to dance with her.

Turning towards Hayami, Chiba offered his hand to which she took. They stumped their way to the middle through the dancing crowd.

She placed her left hand on his shoulder and the other one still in his grasp with his right hand on her hip. Her emerald eyes met his gaze beneath that long fringe as the corner of her lips turned up.

When he had returned her smile, they began to sway to the music. With her leading the way, he found it easier to do the slow dance.

"This is fun," said Hayami as she scoured the area filled with cheery guests and sophisticated decorations.

By the side, Karasuma and Irina were laughing together as they watched everyone else particularly the Class 3-E students, who have grown up into fine adults.

If the yellow octopus were here, he'd be bawling his eyes out from seeing them at this moment.

"The dancing or the wedding as a whole?" Chiba queried.

"Everything."

She glanced over the newly-weds, a pair of adults whom she adored and respected. She thought that it would be nice if she could become a happy bride like Irina someday. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	28. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟐𝟒

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The chief reason for drinking is the desire to behave in a certain way, and to be able to blame it on ALCOHOL." - Mignon McLaughlin

【Ａｌｃｏｈｏｌ】

_𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞_

Inside an unused building – the paint on the walls waning and the floors isolated – four people were descending the stairs, halting to a stop upon reaching the wide entrance to Site A, which was once a small sports stadium.

"Since the blue team is on defense, they'll be guarding the entry points. We're going to wait for our guys on the seats upstairs to open fire. That's when we're going to start shooting at our enemies while staying in the shadows. Are we clear on that?"

A few months ago, at the shooting arcade center, Chiba and Hayami have been approached by the members of an airsoft team called _Tiger Claws._ After witnessing their incredible accuracy and skills in shooting, they invited the two to join the team.

It was a good excuse for the sniper couple to make their practice sessions more challenging. That's why they accepted. Since then, they went to practice matches and battleground competitions that led the team to three out of four victories.

The other three members gave their affirmation to the commander with a nod. They followed him inside the dim fork corridor; the only source of light was illuminating from the opening to where their enemies were positioned on guard.

They divided into pairs – Chiba going with their commander to the left while Hayami with the other one to the right path. They crouched down against the wall, keeping out of sight with the use of the dark, as they waited for their teammates above to start firing.

When the attackers on the stadium seats had engaged in a shootout, the enemies popped out from their hiding spots to fire back. With the commander's signal, Chiba lay down on his stomach, eyes on the rear sight of his rifle.

Hands tight on her pistol, Hayami moved forward while still squatting. She pulled the trigger twice, taking down the two enemies behind a makeshift fort.

* * *

To celebrate their victory, the _Tiger Claws_ went out to eat and drink. They were occupying two tables, six people each, when they made their orders.

After being served, they immediately started drinking and chatting. Pressured by her fellow teammates, Hayami took a gulp of the beer, making her wince at its bitter taste.

She stopped after that since drinking alcohol was never her thing. Meanwhile, Chiba was having it easy finishing his second glass – his tolerance built up from hanging out with some of the Class 3-E guys on several occasions.

"Come on, Hayami! You gotta drink up especially since our consistent victory was thanks to you and Chiba."

With that said, Hayami displeasingly raised the glass of beer to her lips.

"You don't have to do it," said Chiba, a tinge of worry in his voice.

"I can manage." Not wanting to become a downer in this festive mood, she chugged all of the beer.

She let out a hiccup as she received cheers and encouragement from everyone. Feeling dizzy and a bit dry, she turned towards Chiba and said, "I need water," before grabbing the glass in front of him.

"That's not a –"

Too late. Hayami already had a mouthful of his beer, mistaking it for water. Clearly, she was now drunk as she began to mumble incoherently, her mind a blur.

When her misty gaze had landed on her boyfriend, she giggled and her face broke into a grin. "Kitty," she cooed as she reached out her hand to pat his head.

"Hayami-san has lost it."

"Yeah. To think that she has a low tolerance for alcohol."

Chiba held her wrist and removed her hand. But she swiftly clung around his neck, earning whistles and jeers from their teammates.

His ears flushed red.

It was past eleven at night when Chiba left the restaurant with Hayami stuck on his arm like glue. He called for a cab to their residence.

"Black kitty, rest on my lap," Hayami uttered, still wasted, as she tried to pull him down.

He pried her fingers off of him. "Rinka, stop," he said calmly.

She pouted with a slight crease on her forehead. "No fair!" she whined before crossing her arms across her chest and turning away from him.

This was why he didn't want her to drink. She became a completely different person and troublesome to look after.

He could only heave out a sigh.

When they had arrived at the building of their apartment, Chiba has to carry Hayami on his back as she didn't want to move from the taxi seat, still sulking from earlier. She poked on his cheek the whole time they rode on the elevator until he stepped inside their unit.

After setting her down on the couch, he proceeded to the kitchen to get a glass of water. There he caught sight of the picture postcards – that were cherished by Hayami – of various tourist attractions on the fridge.

The postcards were sent by her father on his business trips abroad. The last one she got was from Beijing, China before he died in a plane crash.

Chiba returned to the living area and sat beside Hayami. Then he handed her the water, prodding her to drink to which she obediently did.

"Good kitty," she said afterward, ruffling his hair with a delighted smile across her features.

Fighting back his embarrassment, he took the glass from her grasp and placed it on the center table. "We should go to bed," he proclaimed.

He was about to stand up when she tugged at his shirt. "No." She yanked his arm for him to sit back down. "Let's sleep together."

He opened his mouth to object, but she shoved him first, her strength coming out-of-nowhere. His back, then, came to rest on the cushioned fabric of the couch.

"Good night, kitty," she said as she sprawled face-down on top of him.

Staring at her orange wavy hair, he thought amusedly, ' _Ah. I give up_.'

He wrapped his arms around her back before caressing her cheek. Seeing her closing her eyes with a contented smile on her face, he whispered, "Good night." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	29. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟐𝟓

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm going to wait til the MIDNIGHT hour, that's when my love begins to shine." - Wilson Pickett

【Ｍｉｄｎｉｇｈｔ】

_𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞_

While stiff on the chair, Chiba watched two of his bandmates bicker over the music that they have been performing so far. One of them was Jun Mizushima, the vocalist, who suddenly announced a moment ago that he wanted to quit because they weren't playing the music that he wanted.

"But you suggested those songs!" Kei Saito, the one who played the electric guitar, fumed.

"That's because that's what you guys like," retorted Mizushima.

"Isn't that your fault then? You should've told us what you want."

"Of course, I'm the wrong one. You always think that you're better than me."

"Don't tell me –" Saito's face crumpled into a rage "– this is actually about Kurahashi rejecting you!"

Mizushima stepped forward as he began to say, "Don't be so full –" but he was cut off by Nana Himura, the drummer, who pressed both of her palms on their chests to stop them from being at each other's throats.

She, then, gave each of them dagger looks. "Will you two pipe it down? Let's all calm down and talk this through," she scolded.

Glancing at Mizushima, she said further, "Mizushima, I understand that you have grievances about this band as it is. But please, think carefully about your decision first. Okay?"

Mizushima's eyebrows furrowed and said, "No. I'm tired of this shit." Then he walked out of the room.

"Now what do we do? Our vocalist is gone," Kobayashi stated while standing behind the keyboard.

Himura let out a frustrated sigh, hands on her hips. "We have no choice. We need to recruit a new one."

"But our performance is next week. How are we supposed to find a new vocalist by then?" argued Saito.

 _'How indeed,'_ Chiba thought as he tapped his finger on his lap repeatedly.

He left the campus with the mood still sour in the Contemporary Music Dorm Club. Even after high school, Chiba continued his interest in music in that club. Thanks to that, he was able to perform in other schools and some restaurants.

With their reputation, they were on the roll as a band. Their abilities and personalities mesh so well that they have no problem getting along as friends.

That was until both Mizushima and Saito fell for the same girl – Hinano Kurahashi. They met her in a bar when the club had wanted to relax after their practice with some drinks. Hayami and Yada were also there with her, hanging out like they sometimes did.

Ever since then, the two males have been smitten by Kurahashi's cutesy appearance and adorable personality. With this, there has been tension between them – always competing even on the smallest things.

And for some reason, Mizushima has been acting up following his confession to Kurahashi, which has caused the band a lot of arguments lately including now. Although Chiba couldn't tell if being rejected was the actual reason why he didn't want to be in the band anymore.

When Chiba had departed from the bus, it was already dark. He walked some more on the street until he reached the _Midnight Café' Bar_ – owned by an old acquaintance and a retired sniper assassin known as 'Red Eye', who was living a normal life as 'Hideki Ueda' at the present. It was also where Hayami was currently working, which was a walking distance from her university.

The interior of the shop was red and black, the furniture and fixtures bringing out a chill and classy aura. Jazz music was playing in the background amid the customers who were drinking quietly, chitchatting, or working on their laptops.

After finding a seat on a small round table, an orange-haired waitress in a ponytail approached him. She was wearing a white collared long-sleeve shirt and black leather skirt with black stockings underneath.

Her emerald eyes regarded him with a brief look before speaking, "Good evening, Sir. May I know your tonight's order?"

"Coffee and a quarter pounder."

A smile floated on his girlfriend's lips. "So you're going to study?" she surmised based on his choice of drink.

"Unfortunately," he answered as he began to take out his laptop.

"Enjoy your stay here. Please don't hesitate to call me if you need anything." After turning around, Hayami raised her hand with a wave while pacing away.

Snatching his gaze from her figure, he caught a glimpse of someone familiar – with hazel brown hair, cerulean eyes, and a curvy figure – making her way to the bar countertop, where Ueda (Red Eye) was serving his customers as the bartender, clothed in a black long-sleeve shirt and black trousers.

As soon as Ueda stepped away from her to accommodate another customer, a random guy came up to the hazel brown beauty. It seemed like he was trying to flirt with her but she was obviously not interested. And yet, the guy still insisted and grabbed her shoulder.

Chiba stood up to help her when Ueda had beaten him to it. The random guy looked sour as he withdrew back to where his companions were.

Since there were only a few customers around, Hayami took the seat beside Kurosawa and chatted with her after coming out of the kitchen. Chiba simply gaped at their interaction with a small smile on his face.

Unlike him, Hayami could now mingle well with other people. She really has grown a lot over the years - not just in terms of her physique where her eyes and face were sharper and refined, and her body more developed and toned. Her improved social skills were mostly thanks to her part-time jobs that have given her exposure to customer service and cooperation with co-workers.

Then both girls turned in his direction, Hayami pointing at him while Kurosawa was waving a hello.

He waved back before returning to his laptop as they went back to their conversation.

* * *

It was almost 12 A.M. when Hayami finished her shift. They traveled on foot on their way home, the streets empty and wrapped in comforting silence. For tonight, there was no moon in the sky since it was covered with dark gray clouds instead.

Hayami gave Chiba a perceiving glance. Despite their norm of staying quiet when walking together, she stated, "Something is troubling you."

He cocked his head towards her. "Mizushima just left the band," he said. "And we have a performance next week."

"That's indeed worrisome," she said as she met his gaze.

He hummed.

Looking at the front, she held her chin and mulled over the issue at hand. Then her face cleared up.

"You can be the vocalist, a temporary one," she proclaimed.

He gave her an incredulous look. "That's not happening," he blurted.

"Why not?"

He stared at her unwavering expression. Well, if he would be the vocalist until they found someone new, it would do no harm filling in the position for the short term. Besides, no one else in the band other than him could sing. But...

He sighed and said, "I'm not sure if I can do it."

"You'll be fine. I've heard you sing. And you've handled things more difficult than that."

Talking to her really helped smooth out his problems. She's right. This was nothing compared to the others that he had faced.

The corner of his mouth quivered up when the rain began to pour down. Both of them fumbled for their umbrellas, opening them at the same time. They looked at each other and, then, broke into a laugh.

Hayami stepped closer to his side before closing her umbrella. Chiba, on one hand, tilted his umbrella over her as he reminisced that one time when the same thing happened back in middle school – when they were on their way to the bus stop under the rain. It was exactly after they had exacted revenge on Maehara's ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend for insulting their _gigolo_ classmate.

As soon as she tucked her umbrella back inside her bag, he bent down towards her, lowering the umbrella to keep nobody from seeing them. When she had turned towards him, he crashed his lips into hers and closed his eyes as he did so.

And, then, it was midnight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	30. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟐𝟔

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "For my part, I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the STARS makes me dream." - Vincent Van Gogh

【Ｓｔａｒｓ】

_𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞_

In early August, the former Class 3-E would be staying on an island for three days and two nights. The skies were clear and the breeze was cool to the skin, which was the perfect climate for their trip.

They spent their first day setting up their tents and goofing around the beach. After eating dinner that they cooked on the campfire, they decided to have a Test of Courage in the forest.

Although they were now adults, being on the beach together has made them want to throwback to when they were in Okinawa Island in junior high.

But this time, the end of the test would be at the old temple that Okajima and the others had found earlier that day.

They divided themselves into seven groups with three to four members each. With that, two groups will go on different paths at the same time. Hayami was grouped with Okuda, Kataoka, and Kimura. Chiba was in another group along with Nakamura, Hazama, and Sugino.

With the help of Okajima and Kimura, Karma drew the map of their course to the temple using a stick on the sand. He reminded everybody to mark their paths to know their way back.

The second batch to enter the forest was Hayami's and Chiba's group. While Hayami's group went straight to their path, Nakamura huddled the group together with a look of mischief on her face.

"Let's go scare the other group," she proclaimed.

Of course, Hazama was up for it, eager to witness her friends' expressions swelling with fear. As for the two guys, they have no choice but to go along with the two girls.

* * *

With only the two of them holding a flashlight, Kataoka led the group at the front while Kimura trailed behind at the end of the line. Second in line was Okuda in a high ponytail, who looked scared stiff with her fists clenching on her chest. Following behind her was Hayami with her usual straight face.

Since only the stars stocked the sky, the absence of moonlight has made their surroundings darker. Kataoka told her companions to watch their step on the rocky path.

"Justice..."

Kimura jolted at the sound of a hushed voice that called his name. He swung the flashlight behind and saw nothing but trees.

"Did you guys hear that?" he asked timidly.

"Hear what?" Hayami queried, seemingly unperturbed at the eerie atmosphere.

"Justice..."

He heard it again. Now spooked, he increased his pace, which has caused him to bump into Hayami.

"Sorry," he uttered as he took a step back.

As soon as he did, he felt a presence behind. He turned over his shoulder, letting out a yelp when he had seen a ghostly face being illuminated by a flashlight.

The three girls whipped in his direction and saw Sugino with a terrifying expression standing in front of Kimura. Slightly freaked out, Okuda scooted closer to Hayami, while the other girls remained composed as they were well aware that Nakamura was behind this.

"I knew this is going to happen," Kataoka said no sooner than hearing another scream, a piercing one, coming from Okuda.

On their right, a skinny figure had crawled out on its four limbs from a bush, black curls obscuring its face. Rising on its feet, it showed a white-paled face wearing a malicious grin.

Okuda was now clinging onto Hayami for her dear life, paying no attention to her glasses sliding off. Even Kataoka was freaked out at the sight.

"It's okay, Okuda. It's just Hazama," assured Hayami while Okuda shivered on her arm.

After that, they continued their Test of Courage. To their surprise, there were no signs of Nakamura or Chiba on the way. This has made them wonder where they had gone to.

When they had reached the temple, the first two groups were already there but without Chiba and Nakamura in sight. They waited for them until several minutes have passed, inducing everyone to think that something happened to the two.

"Ah! There they are!" Kurahashi exclaimed as she pointed at the direction where Chiba and Nakamura had come in.

Relief washed over everyone especially Hayami. Beneath her blank façade, she gave her boyfriend a reprimanding look for making her worry.

"Where have you been?" Kataoka queried.

With a hand on her hip, Nakamura cast a cynical gaze at Chiba, who has his hand behind his head sheepishly. "Chiba was allegedly side-tracked by a 'big lizard'. Lucky for him, I somehow found him," she explained.

Although they all found it odd for Chiba to be distracted by something trivial, they didn't bother asking him about it.

Well, except for Hayami.

"A big lizard, huh..." Hayami folded her arms, her tone doubtful.

Chiba let out a nervous chuckle. _I'll tell you about it later._

She held her gaze at him. _You better be._

"There goes their telepathic talk," Maehara pointed with a weirded-out expression.

Then more shrieks echoed from a distance; they recognized that one belonged to Terasaka. They knew for certain that this was Karma's doing and each of them felt pity for Terasaka for ending up being the victim of the red head sadist for the nth time.

* * *

Chiba approached Hayami back to their camp and invited her to follow him into the forest while everyone else was either joshing around or wandering on the beach.

She walked behind him, thinking that maybe this was about his momentary disappearance during the Test of Courage. Meanwhile, he used the marks on the trees that he had left earlier – when he was distracted by a 'big lizard' – to navigate their way.

Both of them didn't say anything as they trudged through the gloomy woods when they saw a pair of fireflies floating before them. Then there were four of them and going further there were now more than what all of their fingers and toes could count until they arrived at a cliff sloping upwards and overlooking a vast body of water. The surface of the water was calm and glassy, reflecting the bordering tall grass and bushes.

Up in the heavens were hundreds and thousands of stars, shining bright along with groups of fireflies sprinkled on some parts of the area. Despite nightfall, the breathtaking scenery around them was clear as day.

"This is –" Hayami took a step forward to the edge as she took in the view "– beautiful."

Standing beside her, Chiba hummed and stole a glance at her mesmerized face. _Beautiful indeed._

"Is this why Rio had to look for you?" she asked as her eyes flitted towards him.

He nodded in reply.

**༛༛ ༛ ༛༺༻༛ ༛ ༛༛**

**_A while ago, Nakamura was looking for a good spot to hide while they waited for the other group that they were going to scare. He was following her when he saw a single firefly flying around. He wondered if there was more since Hayami would definitely want to see some of them. So he drew closer as he scanned around for any flickering lights._ **

**_When he was about to give up, a second firefly appeared out-of-nowhere and trailed after the first one as it moved away. He tagged along until he winded up being in the center of a cluster of fireflies. Then out of the corner of his eye, in between the trees, was the visible dark sky._ **

**_Curious, he took a look. And right in front of him was the most wonderful thing he had seen._ **

**༛༛ ༛ ༛༺༻༛ ༛ ༛༛** **_  
_ **

They sat down on the ground afterward, letting their shoulders touch, to savor it more, and to share this moment in silence. That was until Chiba spoke up.

"Let's tell others about this place when we come back."

"Yeah. We can go back here with everyone tomorrow," said Hayami.

Then they were both quiet once more as they immersed themselves in the beauty of this place. At that instant, they were brought back to that time, more than four years ago, when similar beads of light that belonged to their withering beloved sensei had scattered around the class.

It was a sole memory that has been embedded in the hearts of every student in Class 3-E forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	31. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟐𝟕

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You don't love someone for their looks, or their clothes, or for their fancy car, but because they sing a SONG only you can hear." - UNKNOWN

【Ｓｏｎｇ】

_𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞_

On the second day of its cultural festival, TokyoTech University was swarming with visitors. After entering the gate filled with balloons and students promoting their stalls, Hayami careened through the crowd with Kurahashi following behind.

Chiba had invited Hayami to come watch their band performance today in the mid-afternoon especially since he would be the one singing – as they haven't found someone yet qualified to be the vocalist. That's why she asked among her close friends to accompany her. Thank the lucky stars Kurahashi was more than willing to go since she would be able to see a certain someone.

And so, for this event, Hayami prepped herself in a white dress, which was recently bought on her shopping trip with Inoue and Kurosawa. She let her waves fall on her back as compared to the side ponytail she usually wore at school and at work.

"Rinka-chan, let's buy some food first. I haven't eaten lunch yet," said Kurahashi as she dodged a passerby that almost bumped into her.

"Sure."

They bought takoyaki and drinks and finished them before proceeding to the open stage. A lot of people were flocked at the front, much to their dismay, so they settled on staying on the farther back.

Kurahashi hopped on her toes continuously, trying to take a better look at the stage that was still being set up. "How am I going to see Saito-chan with this?" she whined.

She met the guitarist of the Contemporary Music Dorm Club when she was in a bar together with Hayami and Yada. Upon talking to him that night, she became interested in him.

After that, they would hang out sometimes and messaged each other on LINE. At some point, Hayami had thought that they were already dating. But when she voiced out that assumption one time, Kurahashi denied it, all flustered and stammering.

Hayami couldn't help but become amused at her reaction. She was happy for Kurahashi to finally find someone who could return her feelings.

"Isn't that Hayami-san and Kurahashi-san?" a male voice spoke up.

The two girls turned over their shoulders to see Himura and Kobayashi walking over.

"You came to watch our performance?" Himura asked as her eyes glazed over their getup. The corner of her mouth lifted to a smirk. "You even took the effort to impress your boyfriends."

While Kurahashi was beet-red, clarifying that she and Saito weren't like that, Hayami looked stoic, not even a hint of embarrassment on her face.

"Of course," Hayami said. She glanced at the stage that has the music equipment all ready as a small nostalgic smile crossed her face. "It has been a while since I last saw Ryuunosuke perform on stage."

"Well, we wouldn't want that to go to waste. You should come with us. We'll bring you closer to the stage," said Kobayashi.

After squeezing Hayami and Kurahashi to the front right below the stage, the two band members excused themselves to finish their preparations.

Fifteen minutes have gone by when the Contemporary Music Dorm Club climbed the stage. One person, with his unusual appearance, grabbed Hayami's attention.

With a very solemn expression, the vocalist stood on the center, the bass guitar strapped on his body. He was clad in a black leather jacket and high-ankle boots. To her surprise, only his left eye was still covered by his bangs, the right side clipped to the side with a hairpin.

When his maroon red eye had found its way to her, she felt her heart jump. Then she gave him an encouraging nod – _You got it._

He nodded back.

* * *

Watching Chiba play in a band brought Hayami back to when she had first seen him in Kunugigaoka Junior High in their first year. It was during the school's cultural festival when Fujiwara asked her to watch the performance of the Light Music Club with him.

Now she could clearly remember why she was stunned back then. It was the way he strummed the bass guitar like a professional and that flash of thrill on his face as he struck the complicated chords perfectly.

It was as if... he was in a zone.

After the third song, the audience went wild once again as it emitted cheers and shouts. Chiba let the adrenaline of their outstanding performance seeped into his veins. Then he deeply inhaled and exhaled before giving Saito a glance.

The gazes of the other two members were on them. Saito bobbed his head in understanding as he broke into a grin.

Chiba moved his mouth closer to the mic and his eyes darted towards the girl with eyes green as grass, wearing a pretty white dress and a precious smile.

"Rinka," he paused, struggling to convey his next words, "listen to this song."

_"Hey, you've been invading my mind a lot.  
_ _Don't you know that ever since that day,  
_ _You have been my greatest ally that I could've ever asked from God?_

_Hey, I like the way your eyes shine  
_ _Whenever you hit the targets right.  
_ _I like the way your laugh sounds  
_ _Whenever I do something not bright."_

Kurahashi was squealing as she shook Hayami's shoulders frantically. The people near them stole glances at her upon finding out that she was the girl that the vocalist had referred to considering that he has been looking straight at her while singing.

_"Sometimes I ask myself what I did to deserve you  
_ _My source of light, my root of happiness, my pillar of strength  
_ _Ah ~ this is so frustrating, I don't think I can ever be enough  
_ _But I still want to remain being with you._

_So will you tell me if I can,  
_ _Will you let me if I want it to?_

_Hey, without you my day's incomplete.  
Don't you know that there's no one else for me,  
_ _who understands and fulfills me?_

_Hey, I like the way you call my name, with the soothing sound of your voice  
_ _I like how you meet my gaze, every time I look at you."_

Hayami continued to gaze back at Chiba, ignoring Kurahashi's ecstatic piping, the unwelcome stares, and the noise from the audience. At this moment, nothing else seemed to matter. But him and this song.

_Let me thank you for everything  
_ _My warrior, my best friend, my partner  
_ _Ah ~ I really can't get enough of you  
_ _So please allow me to ask,  
_ _Will you let me stay together with you?"_

When the music had ended, Chiba raised his head to the frenzied crowd that was giving him a round of applause.

"Thank you," he said with a bow.

Then he glanced at Hayami, who somehow gave him her answer to his final question in the song by simply looking at him,

_Of course, I will._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	32. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟐𝟖

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Remember, sex is like a Chinese DINNER. It ain't over 'til you both get your cookie." ~ Alec Baldwin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬.

【Ｄｉｎｎｅｒ】

**－ ＦＥＢＲＵＡＲＹ １４ －**   
_𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞_

Chiba eyed the posters about the discount available for couples at a restaurant. He also noticed how more couples were roaming the streets today. Within his field of vision, Valentine's promotions and designs were plastered everywhere.

Simply looking around was a slap to your face that this day was, in fact, Valentine's Day. No wonder Okajima and a few of his male acquaintances have been laying out bitter remarks in chat since this morning.

His afternoon classes have just ended, and now he was heading his way to the apartment. Earlier, two girls tried to give him chocolates but ever since last year, he stopped receiving them unless they had been left in his desk or bag. In which case, he would give them over to someone else rather than letting Hayami see them.

It was Karma who made such a suggestion when Chiba had raised his concern in one of their drinking night-outs. Chiba shared that he was having trouble accepting chocolates from girls, especially the _honmei_ ones, as he couldn't return their feelings. He also felt guilty whenever Hayami would find out about it although he has no reason to. On one side, it would be rude to the giver if he didn't accept the chocolate.

Karma, then, justified that it's better to decline their chocolates rather than give them the tiniest hope by receiving them. If the chocolate was not given to him personally and there was no way to return it, he could just hand it away before Hayami could discover it herself.

Albeit skeptical, Chiba still followed the red head's advice on his first year in college. And it wasn't too bad. In fact, the cold and ruthless outcome actually served its purpose.

He looked down at the silver accessory around his wrist with her initial on it. Then a thought crossed his mind. Maybe they should have a dinner date tonight. He would ask her when he got back.

But when he did, he saw her outdoor shoes by the door as a distinct smell wafted his nostrils. Walking further to the kitchen, he saw her setting up the table. She was wearing a wool sweater, which showed one of her shoulders, and a pair of skimpy shorts.

He knew, then, that something was up – besides that it's Valentine's Day – from the way she was dressed, which she didn't usually do when at home, and from the way she hummed so merrily to the music playing from the speaker.

His gaze fell on her swaying hips and fair slender legs when he heard her say, "Welcome home. I ordered us pizza for dinner. I didn't have enough time to cook before you get back."

Eyes flicking up to her face, he spotted the pink gloss on her lips and the thickening of her lashes.

She raised a bottle of beer as she added, "I also got us drinks."

He went to the couch to drop his bag there before taking a seat at the dining table. "Are you sure you can handle it?" he queried with a knowing smile.

Sitting down across him, the corner of her mouth turned up. "I can do a little drinking. I've had my tolerance built up from hanging out with the girls."

She poured the beer into his glass with ice cubes while he took a slice of pizza each for her and him and placed them on their plates.

"I almost forgot." She stood up and hurried to the fridge, bending over and reaching for something inside. When she had returned, she handed him a wrapped chocolate bar tied with a gold ribbon.

He gladly took it. "Thank you," he uttered.

After that, they began their meal and drinking. Chiba had a lot of beer as they played _shogi_ , conquering their game twice in a row. Hayami didn't go beyond her limit by merely having simultaneous sips from her glass.

"I won again." Smile wide and brimming with victory, he gulped down half of his drink. He let out a refreshing breath as he placed his glass on the table.

Deeming it enough, with her boyfriend already a bit wasted, Hayami cleared up the pieces from the board, putting the whole set to the side.

Then she glanced at him and gawked at his drunken self. Come to think of it, this would be her first time seeing him drink more than what he could take. It's probably because they weren't outside like they mostly were whenever they drank with their friends.

She rose on her feet before crossing the distance between them. She perched before him on top of the table, leaning closer as she brushed away his bangs from his face and taking a good look at his maroon red orbs that made her stomach do somersaults.

He met her gaze, somewhat having difficulty clearing his mind to catch up to what's happening, and watched her kiss his cheek tenderly. His eyes had unconsciously shut to a close as her lips touched his skin followed by a whisper,

"Let's continue where we left off last time."

His eyes flew open. He stared back at her face that was filled with certainty and passion. His hand, then, grazed her shoulder, the other one on her waist, as he got up from his seat, capturing her lips as he did so.

Both filled with heat and lustful desire, they transferred to the couch of the living room without separating from each other. Hayami plopped down while Chiba propped his knee on the couch, her fingers unbuttoning his shirt before exploring his finely honed chest and biceps.

Then breaking their deep kiss, she stripped off her top and unclasped her bra. Feeling his stare, she turned her head from him as her left arm covered her breasts barely. "So what now?" she asked with a hint of embarrassment.

"I don't know." His hand clamped over his mouth, fighting his blush at the sight of her bare bosom. "I haven't done this before."

"Then –" she stole a glance before looking away again "– we can start with a kiss and let's see where our body brings us."

With a nod, Chiba edged closer and, once again, pressed his lips against hers. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	33. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟐𝟗

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The truth in you remains as RADIANT as a star, as pure as light, as innocent as love itself." ~ James Lane Allen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬.

【Ｒａｄｉａｎｔ】

**－ ＦＥＢＲＵＡＲＹ １５ －**   
_𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞  
_

When HE had pried his eyes open, the first thing that he saw was her sleeping figure, her naked body beneath the covers of his bed. He could see his surroundings clearly since his bangs were clipped up – she wanted to see his eyes the whole time they were doing it.

He tossed to the right as he continued to gawp at her peaceful expression and comfy posture. His gaze, then, traveled to her disheveled tangerine waves. The same ones that he ran his fingers through last night, clutching them as he held her close to him.

Their first night of intimacy was definitely incredible despite being awkward with their bungles. At least, for him, they were able to overcome those bits of hitches and managed to achieve their gratification as they explored their pleasures together.

Somehow, he could remember the digging of her nails on his back when he had entered inside her and began thrusting. He remembered the way her face melted after locking his lips into hers as her hands left light touches on his body.

And her voice... the one that had called out his name several times, pleading for more.

One by one he recollected every image that had transpired from his memory, how each of them made him feel like he was on cloud nine. It's not just because of his carnal desire having been satisfied, but it was also because he had shared every single one of those moments with her.

Then a thought invaded his mind, which completely dissipated his buoyant mood – _Right. We have classes this morning._

He internally let out a groan. He didn't feel like parting from her just yet, but he knew that both of them have to start moving if they didn't want to be late for class.

Slowly he rolled out of the bed, careful not to stir her awake, before going to the kitchen to cook breakfast.

* * *

When SHE had pried her eyes open, flashbacks from the previous night came into her head like an avalanche. His maroon red gaze glowing with fervor and his butterfly kisses on her every part. His grip on her as if he wanted more, not letting her go all throughout.

There was also his mouth that made tender utterances of her name with his eyes asking for permission whenever he was about to do something. She would nod in reply, entrusting her entire self to him. And he'd reciprocate that trust by making sure that he was gentle and that he would provide to her wants as well.

She batted an eyelid, in a state of shock, just as she noticed the empty space beside her. Sitting up on the bed, the soft fabric slid down from her chest. Then she felt sore from somewhere down there when a blush crept up on her cheeks at the realization of its cause.

After hearing faint noises from the kitchen, she was reminded of her classes today, making her forehead creased. With the way she was feeling right now – blissful but still listless with a tad of cramping on her lower part – it was not a good idea to go to school.

She scoured around the bed and the floor for her clothes but remembered that they had been discarded in the living area. Not wanting to walk out of the room exposed, she searched for any article of clothing when her eyes came across his hoodie slung over the chair. She got up and shrugged it on before making her way to the kitchen.

"Good morning," Chiba greeted over his shoulder while holding a pan over the stove.

She returned his smile as she continued to the table. "Good morning."

His eyes, without his fringe concealing them, trailed from her head to his hoodie that reached her thighs midway. Ears flushing pink, he turned back to his cooking.

This made her giggle as she pulled out the chair and took a seat.

A few moments after, he served their platter – mixed rice with salmon and eggs with _furikake_. He followed it with a cup of coffee each for her and him.

"Are you not feeling any –" there was a slight hesitation in his tone "– pain?"

Picking up her chopsticks, she answered, "It's a bit painful but I can still move just fine."

"I wasn't too rough, was I?"

She looked up at his guilt-ridden face. She would be lying if she'd say that she didn't find this behavior of his adorable.

"No, you were fine." She stifled a laugh, raising her fist with the chopsticks to her mouth.

He arched his eyebrow. "What's funny?" he asked.

She lowered her hand and, then, gave him her loving smile. "I was just happy."

With the same look on his face, he said, "Me too."

* * *

Hayami went to class this morning, then, her part-time shift in the afternoon. That was before she went to see her friends, who were at this point were like family to her. Even the others in Class 3-E.

It was already evening when they were having dinner at Kurahashi's place coupled with drinks. Nakamura came in last, claiming that she had bumped into Gakushuu Asano on her way here.

They first talked about the former student council president who was also the top elite student of Kunugigaoka Junior High. He was currently studying at Tokyo University, having aced the entrance exams, along with Karma. It seemed like he has been taking on competitions against the red head up until now although they were studying different programs.

"I can't believe they're still going at it," said Yada with a sigh.

"At this point, the two are like lifetime rivals," Kurahashi stated after taking a drink.

As if she had enough of the two men's lengthy rivalry, Nakamura propped her elbow on the table and rested her cheek on her palm. "If it was me, I'd get bored by now," she said when her eyes darted towards Hayami.

"You look glowing today, _hun,_ " she pointed out with a smirk.

Unconsciously, Hayami's hand twiddled the silver bracelet on her left wrist. "What do you mean?" she asked.

KURAHASHI: Rio-chan's right. Rinka-chan is definitely radiating!

YADA: Did something good happen to you?

NAKAMURA: Yesterday's Valentine's Day, right?

YADA: Are you saying that she is in high spirits because of Valentine's?

KURAHASHI: I don't know about that. I do admit that the event, which is about love and romance, makes everyone thrilled, but it's not enough reason to make Rinka-chan that cheery.

The blonde rolled her eyes in disbelief. "Come on, guys. Rinka and Chiba have been together for around five years and they are even living together under the same roof. We all know what couples do on Valentine's Day." She stopped as if recalling something. "At least that's what the guy I've dated in the U.K. told me."

Shocked expressions spun towards the orange hair, who has her poker face on.

"Have you really done it?" the two girls echoed at the same time.

Hayami knew that there's no use dilly-dallying on it. She should just be frank with it as Nakamura had done when she professed that she had slept with this British man that she had been casually going out with for two months.

Meeting their expectant gazes directly, Hayami said, "Yes, we did it."

Kurahashi faked a sob as she threw her arms around Hayami. "Our Rinka-chan is finally a grown woman!" she cried while Yada wiped her non-existent tears.

"They grow up so fast," the brunette muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. Even though she already expected this would happen sooner or later, she has yet to wrap her head around the news.

"You two are overreacting," Hayami said with a deadpan look.

It was now the blonde prankster's turn to react. "So how was it?" she queried, her one eyebrow up and her smile impish.

Hayami pondered over her answer. She didn't want to overshare such a private matter, but she also didn't want to spout out whatever as if it was not a big deal.

"It was special." – was she could only say and would only ever say of it. 

🐘

𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm sorry if it took a while to publish these new episodes. There's a lot going on so I have to take care of those stuff. Anyway, I just want to let you know that I'll be making a new assclass fic. It's in a medieval/fantasy AU and I have made a post about it in my Tumblr: @misslindy.


	34. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟑𝟎

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You cannot make yourself feel something you do not feel, but you can make yourself do right in spite of your FEELINGS." - Pearl S. Buck

【Ｆｅｅｌｉｎｇｓ】

_𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞_

"You don't look too good, _Red Eye_ -san."

He swirled towards the voice. Standing there was Hayami holding an empty tray against her belly.

He chuckled and said, "You really should stop calling me that, Hayami-san. My name's Ueda Hideki."

The corner of her mouth tugged up, which would've been a rare thing if this was before. But she was not anymore the 15-year old Hayami that he had associated with in his last assassination job. At the present, she's a 21-year old college student and working part-time in his café bar-restaurant, who has just noticed the ill look on his face.

"I'm sorry. It has become a habit." Her smile disappeared just as it had appeared. "But in the meantime, you should take some rest. It would be bad if our boss suddenly couldn't work anymore."

"Alright. I'll just finish wiping this," he said as he tapped the bar counter. Since the rest of his staff already has their hands full in their jobs, there wouldn't be someone available to do the cleaning before the bar opens tonight.

She gave him a scrutinizing look before heading to the kitchen. It could be frightening how she could be so attentive in almost everything but that's the least of his concern now.

Because as of late, he discovered that he was harnessing romantic feelings for her.

It wasn't just because of her elegance – how she carried her tasks so gracefully and without delay, and how she dealt with the customers with finesse and while keeping a calm demeanor. It was also the way she gave careful glances in her surroundings and the way she bit her lip when she was handling something difficult even for her. It's her reliability and professionalism that has made him wanted to depend on her more than on the others.

And her figure, slender and attractive, as well as her emerald gaze that was precocious yet enticing. Those same eyes that would be filled with trust and respect once _he_ – that raven-haired long-distance sniper who was also her boyfriend – came into her view.

How jealous he was of that stoic boy.

Of course, that didn't mean that he would make a move on her. Not only that she has someone, but she also was once that junior high student involved in the _assassination_. Although he was currently trying to lead a normal life, that didn't mean that he was able to really leave his past behind. There were instances when someone would make an attempt to take his life either for revenge or for some other reasons he could think of, and some of his old clients would try to hire him again for another job despite being told explicitly that he was done.

If he were to involve her in his personal life, who knows what it would do to her.

After wiping the bar squeaky clean, he went off to go to his room upstairs, where he lived, when he suddenly felt a pang of dizziness, his vision becoming a blur. Then the next thing he heard was Hayami calling his name, " _Ueda-san!"_ , followed by a mop of black hair popping out from his side.

* * *

One of the waitresses approached the scene, while the customers gawked at Ueda from their seats as he half-consciously fell to the floor.

"What happened to him?" asked the waitress with worry.

"He is not feeling well so he collapsed," Hayami replied.

Chiba put Ueda's right arm around his shoulder, heaving his weight up, just as Hayami told him, "You carry Ueda-san to his room. I'll get medicine and a hot towel for him."

He nodded and, then, trudged towards the back where there stood a wooden door. Letting go of Ueda's right arm, he turned the knob, swinging the door open before climbing up the stairs.

"I probably got the cold when I got drenched by the rain yesterday," Ueda slurred, steadying himself on his two feet.

Chiba only hummed as he entered a large room with a high ceiling. There were two doors at the end of the room– one to the bedroom and the other to the bathroom. Across the bedroom door was the living area that has a tall window where the sunlight comes in. On their left was the bathroom along with the kitchen and a dining table.

Ueda removed his arm from the young lad and shuffled his feet to his room. Then he threw himself on the bed with a long sigh, the soft covers and pillow easing his tired, weak body.

"Excuse my intrusion."

Hayami waltzed in together with Chiba. She knelt on the floor beside the bed and laid the hot towel atop Ueda's forehead. She handed him the medicine tablet with Chiba reaching out a glass of water.

"Thanks," Ueda said before taking the medicine.

"What do we do about tonight?" Hayami queried. "We have no one to replace you as the bartender."

He should've hired another bartender when he had the chance. "I'm sorry for causing such trouble. I guess this place shall be a café restaurant-only for this night."

"I can fill in for Ueda-san."

Both heads turned towards Chiba, who suddenly got conscious of his bold offer, raising his hands to his chest. But he couldn't back down now.

"I mean... I've been watching him work in the bar. I think I can pull it off," he continued.

"Are you sure?" Ueda gave him a doubtful look.

Hayami faced her boss, eyes teeming with certainty. "He can do it. You can coach him about the important bits. We still have enough time before the bar opens," she proclaimed.

Ueda glanced back at the raven hair. With a smile, he said, "I'm counting on you, Chiba-kun."

Chiba dipped his head. "I'll try my best."

After Hayami had left the room to return to her job, Ueda told Chiba to take a seat on a chair. He also lent him a notebook and pen for him to jot down notes from his brief coaching.

When he was done an hour later, he said, "You're pretty lucky to have someone like Hayami-san to trust you that much."

"Yeah, I am." Chiba wore a prideful expression as he said that. "I'm sure you will find someone someday who will return your feelings, Ueda-san," he added.

Ueda broke into a smirk. _So he knew._

"I hope so."

* * *

Hayami began tidying up a table that a customer has recently left when she felt a presence behind her. Turning on her heel, she froze upon seeing Chiba in a navy blue shirt with sleeves rolled up and his hair – or bangs – tied into a half-ponytail.

What's totally surprising was that his eyes were fully visible right now although they were of a different color. _Blue as the sky._ Its gaze still held a level of intensity but not to the extent that it would make other people intimidated.

"How –"

"Ueda-san made me borrow his shirt. He even required me to fix my hairstyle since it looked unsettling," Chiba explained as a smile crossed his face, pleased at her stunned reaction.

"How about your eyes?"

"Ah. It's a contact lens. He said that he used it in the past for his disguise. Maybe I should wear a contact lens from now on since it makes my eyes less scary –" he frowned "– but it's uncomfortable."

"And it doesn't feel right without your bangs concealing your vision."

His mouth curled up. "That's right."

Sharing the same expression, she said, "You look good." _Still, I prefer his normal look. The 'Ryuunosuke' that I know_.

"Thanks."

"Are you ready to serve later?" she asked.

"I still have to familiarize myself with the bar. After that, I'm good," he answered, his thumb pointing at the bar.

When he had been out of earshot, one of Hayami's co-workers named Chiyo Tsukuda stepped to Hayami's side looking impressed as she eyed his back. "You didn't tell me that your boyfriend's a looker," she whispered.

Hayami kept silent so Tsukuda took this as a chance to continue, "It's a shame that he usually wears his long bangs down covering his upper face."

"He has his reasons," said Hayami before going back to her work.

For his first time, Chiba did pretty well as the bartender. He was quick to grasp what Ueda had taught him and was able to carry it out smoothly. Although he seemed timid when interacting with customers, committing a few mistakes along the way, his adaptability and applying some tricks, which he got from observing Hayami in her work, made up for it.

His performance was not the only thing that deserved some praise. Some female customers have given him compliments about his looks. One particular lady called him handsome and even tried to flirt with him before he told her politely that he already has a girlfriend.

"Is she in this room?"

Chiba paused from closing the lid of a vodka bottle. "You can tell?" he asked.

The lady customer smirked as she continued to glide her finger around the rim of her glass. "Well, you've been stiff since I made a move on you and you've also made this sideways glance, which I'm guessing is to your girlfriend, when I asked you for your number. Other than that, it's a wild guess," she said with a shrug on the last part.

Her eyes, then, flitted towards him cheekily. "So who is she?"

As if on cue, Hayami stopped by the bar. "One table ordered a whiskey on ice and rum and cola," she told Chiba.

"Got it." He took out two glasses, filling them with ice.

In turn, she gave him a faint smile before heading off to attend to another table.

The lady customer took a sip of her cocktail, hiding her giggle. "She's pretty," she began to say. "And also uptight."

Chiba was mixing the rum and cola drink when he said, "She is", with a hint of fondness in his tone.

"She's lucky to have you."

 _'That's funny,'_ he thought. ' _Ueda-san told me that I was the lucky one.'_

"Both of us are," he replied as he placed the ordered drinks on top of the counter no sooner than Hayami swooped in to serve them to the customers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	35. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟑𝟏

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Never ruin an APOLOGY with an excuse." - Benjamin Franklin

【Ａｐｏｌｏｇｙ】

_𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞_

It has been ages ago since Hayami went skiing; the last time was when she was in the Skiing Club at junior high, before reaching her year in Class 3-E. This made it perfect for her and Chiba to go to the ski resort in Niigata Prefecture after Christmas for an overnight stay.

Before that, they celebrated Christmas Eve at the Chiba household.

To prepare himself, Chiba had been trying to learn how to ski by using a pair of makeshift skis and ski poles out of wood. He would practice the motions as well as the balancing within the apartment with the help of online video tutorials and Hayami's tips.

On their arrival at the resort, they checked in their luggage inside their reserved room, which has twin beds, before gearing up in winter sports clothes. To reach the top of the mountain, they took a ride on the cable lift. Hayami's eyes glistened at the thick layers of snow as they sailed above, clearly eager to finally ski again.

Upon reaching the peak, they set the skiing equipment that they have rented. Chiba looked clueless holding the ski poles after he had buckled up both feet on the skis.

"It felt different when you're in the actual snow," he said.

"We can practice first and I'll help you. I also need to warm up," Hayami offered.

An hour has passed when Chiba got used to sliding down the hill. He was beaming as he glided downwards against the snow. But he lost his balance when he had reached a sharp curve of the slope.

Hayami went after him with swerving movements. "Are you okay?" she asked as she bent down, offering her hand.

As he reached out, his mouth quirked up before dragging her to the ground at his side. Then he smeared a fist of snow across her cheek, not giving her the time to respond.

Her eyebrows furrowed, with the snow dripping from her face, as he chortled. In turn, she hurled a snowball straight to his face and some of it snuck into his mouth.

She broke into a laugh when he had spat out the snow. She, then, edged closer to remove the white remnants off his face, cradling both of his cheeks afterward with a soft smile.

"Now, let's continue what we're here for – skiing."

* * *

"That was fun," Chiba stated as they made their way back inside the lodge.

"If only we have more time for this," Hayami said although she was glad that they got to do this. It had been a while since they did something together that was this engaging.

After reaching their room, her phone from inside her backpack began ringing. She answered it and heard Kurahashi's upset tone.

While Chiba shrugged off his jacket and boots, he watched her speak with a distressed expression. Then she dialed on her phone, placing it back on her ear, and exchanged a few words with – as he could tell – Nakamura.

When she had pulled away from the ended call, she looked at him somberly and said,

"Hinano just found out that Saito was cheating on her."

There was a slight pause. "Do you want to go back?" he carefully asked.

She took off her jacket. "There's no need. Rio is on her way to where Hinano is." A hint of frustration crossed her features. "I was hoping that I could be there for her immediately."

"We can visit her when we get back," he suggested.

She stared at him and said, "You knew."

He hummed.

"And you didn't say anything," she pointed.

"I didn't want to meddle with Saito's personal affairs as a friend."

Her emerald eyes turned blank. He could sense a hint of distaste on her tone when she asked him, "Have you ever considered Hinano's feelings about what Saito did?"

His mouth gaped as her words struck him cold.

Hayami turned towards the door. "I'll go ahead and eat dinner." In order to give him time to process, she left the room.

Chiba plopped down his bed, realizing his mistake. Hayami was right. If he had taken Kurahashi into consideration, he would have acted differently towards Saito's misdeed. He would've at least berated Saito to confess what he did to Kurahashi or told Hayami so that she could let Kurahashi know about it in a way that she knew best.

 _'I'm such an idiot,'_ he thought haplessly before steeling himself to face Hayami and make it right with her.

* * *

At the canteen, his gaze landed on the certain orange hair having her meal alone. He ordered his food before joining her at the table.

Their dinner together was torture. Hayami was giving Chiba the cold shoulder although she still waited for him when she had finished her meal first. Since the terse atmosphere was gnawing on his nerves, he couldn't utter a single word.

After having his final bite, he has had enough of his cowardice. So he invited her to have a drink of hot chocolate in the lounging area.

They took a seat on a small round table with two couches facing each other. Hayami brought her mug to her lips and softly blew on it when he began to say,

"I'm sorry."

She regarded him with a quick look before taking a sip.

"I actually would've done differently if I had thought of Kurahashi. But I didn't. That's why I'm the worst," he said further.

"You're not the worst," she countered.

"I am," he stated firmly. "Because of what we've been through in Class 3-E, we're supposed to look out for each other. What I did was anything but that."

As she lowered her hot chocolate onto her lap, her face softened. "I'm not mad at you. I just felt hurt for my friend," she said.

He shifted his head down, his gaze on his untouched mug on the table. "I'm very sorry," he blurted.

"You should be saying that to Hinano."

"Yes. I plan to do that."

When they had emptied their drinks, they headed back. They were walking on the corridor to their room when Hayami proclaimed, "You better not do that to me", a bit jokingly.

Chiba halted and glanced at her. "I wouldn't do that. You know that," he retorted, feeling offended that she would assume that he'd also cheat on her.

"I know –" she met his gaze with a fearful expression "– but we know that our feelings could change someday."

A few doors away from their room, Chiba trapped her on the wall with his arm. His hand held her chin, and he bent down to her face, clashing his mouth against hers.

Then he broke their passionate kiss with a slight annoyance on his stoic face. "Don't take my feelings for you lightly," he warned before proceeding to make his way to the room.

She blinked, astounded. Although she was just stating a fact, she knew it was her turn to apologize. 

🐘

𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys want to have closer interaction with me as the author, you may follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, and Wattpad. I make announcements and posts on those platforms. You can get the links to my accounts on my profile page.


	36. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟑𝟐

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "A story to me means a plot where there is a surprise... because this is how life is full of SURPRISES." -Isaac Bashevis Singer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the reads and kudos. I know that 2020 has been full of bad moments, but writing the Being Together Forever Trilogy is one of the things that have made this year bearable for me. I hope that you have that kind of thing too. 
> 
> Please enjoy and... HAPPY NEW YEAR!

【Ｓｕｒｐｒｉｓｅｓ】

**－ ＭＡＲＣＨ １２ －**   
_𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞_

The cherry blossoms loomed over their path as pink petals fluttered in the air. Despite the change of season, Chiba felt chilly nevertheless, making it the right time to wear his beanie.

It was such a perfect coincidence too since they were going to the annual cleanup in their old classroom today. With that, they would probably be drinking with their friends tonight, which meant Hayami would get drunk and try to tie his hair into twin tails to make it look like cat ears.

As a countermeasure, he would put on his beanie to hide his mop of raven hair from her sight.

"Is something bothering you?"

He was cut off from his thoughts when he had heard her speak up from his side. He looked at her bemusedly, barely catching her words.

She released a sigh. It seemed like he was just thinking about something trivial.

Then she raised her hand and said, "Want to hold hands?"

With a hum, he gladly took her offer. They continued to walk on the sidewalk when a silver car pulled up beside them.

The window of the front seat rolled down, showing a pair of familiar faces. "Hey there, kiddos," the blonde one – a former hitwoman who was also their past English teacher – greeted with a smug grin.

"You know that we are grown enough to be called that," Hayami pointed just as Chiba said, "Ah, it's Bitch-sensei and Karasuma-san."

Irina with the blonde hair answered, "You're still those same brats for me", before turning to Chiba with an annoyed expression. "And you! Stop calling me with that name especially in front of my child!" she scolded, her finger pointing at him.

"Child?" Hayami blinked with Chiba sharing the same lost expression.

"Yeah," Irina replied not long before the window at the back revealed a one-year-old girl on a carrier.

The stoic couple took a closer peek and the infant broke into a giggle as she reached out her puny hands.

"You two are on your way to the Class E building, right?" Karasuma called out from behind the wheel. "You should ride with us there."

And so both Chiba and Hayami went inside the car with their teachers' child in the middle. Hayami was stiff, not knowing what to do, while Chiba played with the baby, a huge smile on his face.

Karasuma and Irina's first-born has taken after more from the mother. The color of her eyes and her hair is just like Irina although of a darker shade. As for the shape of her eyes, she got those from Karasuma – sharp and fierce.

"What's her name?" asked Hayami.

When Chiba moved his face towards the baby, his hair was suddenly pulled. He held his hair down to avoid his eyes from being seen.

Irina looked over her shoulder. This time, she wore a gentle expression as she gazed at her daughter. "We named her Harumi," she replied.

Hayami glanced down and saw the infant swirling in her direction, its cherubic face and pair of blue eyes shimmering with innocence and glee staring at her.

Her face softened as she extended her finger to which the infant grasped with tiny fingers. "Harumi-chan," she uttered in a mellow tone as both Chiba and Irina watched the heart-warming scene.

Later on, they have arrived at Kunugigaoka Junior High. They used the parking lot of the school and climbed out of the car.

Irina went to the back seat to take her daughter when she pored over Hayami. She said, "Do you want to carry Harumi to the top?"

Although Hayami hadn't had any experience in holding a baby, the adorableness of the child gawping at her made her splay out her hands forward.

"I-I'll try," she stammered as the baby was carefully placed in her arms.

"Be sure to hold her head at all times," Irina advised before giving her baby's cheek a pinch.

On their way up the mountain, Harumi became ecstatic at the sight of trees and plants as well as animals that entered her vision. She kept on bouncing as she stretched out her arms, which would startle Hayami, who was carrying her.

Hayami tightened her hold on the baby just as Chiba said, "I can take it from here if you're tired." 

"No," she shook her head, then, her gaze flickered to Harumi patting her cheeks repeatedly, "this is fun. I'm far from tired to be exact."

"After a month or so of taking care of a child, you will start to feel the exhaustion," Irina chimed in from the front, trekking alongside Karasuma.

Then her chin tilted down as nostalgia crossed her features. "But at the end of the day, once Harumi is asleep, one look at her peaceful face and I think that it is all worth it. Right, Tadaomi?"

With his mouth tugged up, Karasuma bobbed his head. "Yeah," he said as he looked at the young couple at the back.

"When you have a kid on your own, you'll know exactly what we mean," he added.

Both Chiba and Hayami blushed, at the thought of them having their own family, while Irina stifled a laugh at their reaction.

* * *

When they had reached the top, they were met with some of the Class 3-E folks, who became more bombastic and louder at the sight of the baby in Hayami's arms. Hara came over to take her turn in holding the baby, while the others exchanged words with Irina and Karasuma.

Due to differing circumstances, not everyone could come as always.

"We wanted to introduce Harumi to _him_ and show her this place, where her parents first met," stated Irina, who was explaining their sudden visit.

"The memories we had here are so precious for us not to return," Karasuma said further.

Meanwhile, Terasaka and Sugaya rushed towards Chiba. "For a second, I thought that you and Hayami already have a child," Terasaka blurted with an elbow to Chiba's side.

Sugaya nodded. "It would have made perfect sense why I haven't seen Hayami for a while."

Hayami hid her flushed face upon hearing that with Sugaya sneering at her.

"How about you? When are you going to get yourself a girlfriend?" Chiba teased Terasaka in an attempt to change the conversation.

Terasaka looked flustered as he sneaked a glance at Hazama interacting with the others. "I'm working on that," he muttered.

The stoic couple was taken by surprise at the discovery that the muscle-head Terasaka was interested in the gloomy book-lover. More so that he was trying to make a move on her.

"Good luck," Chiba said with a pat on Terasaka's shoulder.

"You'll need it," Hayami seconded.

Albeit feeling envious of the lovebirds, Terasaka grumbled his thanks.

Afterward, everyone went inside the building. Irina, with her baby, and a few of the girls were chatting inside the Class E room. The rest has already started doing the cleaning and maintenance. Karasuma helped with the repairs and heavy-lifting.

* * *

The Karasuma family bid their goodbyes when the afternoon had come. Everybody was saddened including Hayami, who wanted to spend more time with Harumi.

"Make sure you return, Bitch-sensei!" Maehara proclaimed.

"For the millionth time, don't call me that anymore!" Irina barked, and Harumi broke into a laugh upon seeing her mother's enraged expression.

Nagisa came near Karasuma and said, "I'm sure Korosensei and Aguri-sensei are happy for you."

With a smile, Karasuma placed both hands on his hips when Nakamura showed up. She, then, elbowed him with a jaunting grin. "Next time, you and Bitch-sensei should hang out with us," she said.

"I'd be glad to someday," he replied.

At night, the former Class 3-E ate dinner of take-out food and, of course, alcohol. With their stomachs filled up combined with their fatigue from the cleanup, all of them remained unmoving on the floor as they continued to drink beer.

On one side were most of the boys – Karma, Nagisa, Chiba, Terasaka, Yoshida, and Sugaya. Maehara and Isogai were with the girls, consisting of Nakamura, Okuda, Kanzaki, Hayami, Hara, and Hazama, on the opposite side.

"Maybe you should ask Chiba for some advice. I already helped you with everything that I can. I don't know what else to do," Yoshida told Terasaka with a heavy sigh.

"I thought that you were going to ask her out, Ryouma," Sugaya said.

Terasaka averted his gaze as he said, "I chickened out at the last minute."

His companions began throwing crumpled tissues at him, yelling out _boos_ and insults of his cowardice. Nagisa, slightly red from the alcohol, simply laughed as he spectated from the sidelines.

With horns popping out on his head, Karma scooted to Terasaka's side. "Do you want me to set you up with Hazama?" he offered with a malicious smirk.

"No, thank you!" Terasaka raised his hand like a wall blocking Karma's face. He knew that instead of helping, the red-head sadist would probably just mess with him.

"You know, if you're not going to gather the courage to ask her out, nothing will happen to you," Chiba pointed out before taking a gulp from his can.

Terasaka spun towards him and grabbed his shoulders. "Please help me, master!" he cried with his head dipped low.

"Uh –" Chiba turned to the side sheepishly "– It's not like I'm an expert."

"I know it's late but –" Sugaya began to say "– how did you and Hayami end up together? Did you ask her directly?"

The corner of his mouth curved up and Chiba recalled that moment before their midterm tests when Hayami had avoided him because of the rumors of them dating. At that time, he discovered that her presence was not just of a classmate or a sniping partner; it was something more than that.

"I did nothing special. I just asked her out to go out on a date after our midterms," he answered coolly.

 _'That's Chiba for you,'_ Sugaya and Nagisa thought at the same time.

"Just use your loud mouth like you always do, Ryouma," Karma said with a shrug.

"I'll do just that then!" Terasaka spouted before gulping down another can of beer that Yoshida had handed to him.

He stood up, causing his head to spin more. Then he swayed towards Hazama with the girls. "Kirara!" he spat as he pointed his finger.

Hazama gave him an odd look.

"Do you want to go out next weekend?!"

Although the others knew well enough that Terasaka was energetic and spontaneous, it still rendered them speechless to see him ask Hazama out with his booming voice and while he was blitzed.

Hazama lifted one eyebrow, having no clue as to what's the fuss about. Since she has hanged out with Terasaka several times, she thought that this was simply just one of those occasions.

"Sure," she replied.

While Chiba was distracted by the commotion, Hayami crawled up behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Black kitty!" she squealed delightfully.

He faced her with a gasp, smelling her breath reeking of alcohol.

Nakamura, who was recording the whole thing on her phone while laughing, froze when Chiba had thrown her a reprimanding look for making his girlfriend drunk.

She couldn't help it though; it was entertaining to bring out Hayami's drunk self. All she had to do was to make her play poker, which the blonde was good at, and the losers would have to chug down a whole can.

"Give me a kiss, kitty," Hayami ordered before moving closer to Chiba's face with a pout.

Chiba pushed her away and scooped her into his arms. He better bring her away from here before she did something embarrassing. As he hefted her weight out of the room, she gave their peers a wave and, then, stole a peck on his lips.

And that's the third surprise they had on that day. 

🐘

_Please don't forget to leave a vote and_ _share_ _your comments down below._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harumi, the name of Irina and Karasuma's daughter in my story, means "spring beauty". They gave her that name since Korosensei's birthday is also in the season of spring. I'm not sure though if their daughter was also born in spring.
> 
> I never expected to write about Terasaka and Hazama in this story. It just happened while I was working on this episode. Anyway, I want to know if there are Terasaka and Hazama shippers out there. I'm not an avid shipper, but I can see the charm of this pairing and I think their story would be interesting if they happen to be canon.


	37. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟑𝟑

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Treat every moment as a gift, that is why it is called the PRESENT." - Deepak Chopra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬.

【Ｐｒｅｓｅｎｔ】

**－ ＪＵＬＹ １２ －**   
_𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞_

"Black kitty doesn't have time for me anymore!"

With a loud thud, Hayami slammed her glass of beer on the table. Her bleary eyes stared right through Nakamura and Kurahashi, who were looking at her worriedly.

"This is bad, Rio-chan. I haven't seen Rinka-chan this miserable for a while," Kurahashi said as she shook Nakamura's arm.

Nakamura gave Kurahashi a scheming smirk and told her, "Don't worry. I have something planned for tonight."

In their fourth year in college, they have an internship and a thesis project to accomplish in order to get their degree. This made it more hectic for those who have entered college particularly Hayami with her part-time job and Chiba with his club activities.

This has caused Chiba and Hayami to seldom see each other even in the apartment. Whenever one of them was home, the other was either away or already asleep in their room. It was also why they had to quit from the airsoft team.

Even on Hayami's birthday, Chiba had to go to his internship in the daytime. At night, he was working on his thesis project with his partner, which unfortunately got extended.

So that's why she was in the Midnight Café Bar celebrating with her friends in Class 3-E after her shift. Although still coming, Chiba informed her that he would be late.

With that, Hayami spoiled herself with beer and ended up being more drunk than ever. Probably due to stress and loneliness.

"I am nothing to him," she slurred before taking a swig. "It's my birthday and he's not here!"

"Come on, he said that he was going to come so don't worry," Yada, sitting on her right, said.

Hayami turned towards Yada at the speed of light. Her eyebrows furrowed as tears began to spill out from her eyes. "What if he doesn't?" she blurted out.

When Yada hadn't said anything, Hayami continued to sob before laying her head on the brunette's shoulder. Nakamura took this as a cue to bring her home.

* * *

Chiba has been glancing repetitively at his phone for over an hour. Even though it was understandable that he has to prioritize his project, he couldn't help but feel uneasy especially since it was Hayami's birthday.

And he fully knew that she gave importance to birthdays. What's worse was that he wasn't able to buy her a gift despite being able to in the previous years.

"What's wrong, Chiba-kun?"

He raised his head to the girl across him. Her name was Akiko Tachibana, well-known for her profound looks among the guys in school. When their thesis coordinator had required them to form into pairs for their mandatory project, he was the one that she immediately approached.

She has a reason why she picked him out of the good-looking guys in class. That is...

"It's my girlfriend's birthday today and I don't have a gift for her," he answered. Then he went on his sketch of a house design.

Tachibana could never figure out why this guy, Ryuunosuke Chiba, was not attracted to her even for a bit. Ever since their first encounter, he has been acting indifferently towards her as if he's not mesmerized at all!

Throughout her life, a lot of men have fawned over her and couldn't keep their eyes off her every time she passed by. Those who were confident enough would even flirt with her or try to ask her out.

Never she had met someone who would be this oblivious to her. She had tried many ways to make him blush or recognize her charms, but not a single one worked.

That's why she went through all the trouble of setting up this appointment to have more time with him. And now to find out that he has a girlfriend?

Being in a relationship was not enough reason for him to not feel anything towards her though. She knew guys before who would still make a move on or fall for her despite having a girlfriend.

Her thesis partner should be no exception.

"Don't worry. We'll finish this quickly and, then, you'll have time to buy a gift," she said although she was actually coming up with an excuse inside her mind for him to stay longer.

She could pretend to be sick so that he would have to accompany her home and, then...

"Ah, Chiba. Finally."

Upon looking up, a handsome man with red hair was standing by their table. His appearance gave Chiba a shock albeit it didn't show.

"What are you doing here, Karma?"

"Can we talk in private for a second?" Karma asked with his thumb pointing outside.

After excusing himself, Chiba followed Karma out of the store. They stopped by an alley, making Chiba feel anxious about what's to come.

Karma turned over his shoulder to face Chiba as the corner of his mouth quirked up. "Go for it, guys," he uttered.

Before Chiba could make sense of his statement, Okajima and Kimura dashed out-of-nowhere and went straight to him. Okajima grappled him in place while Kimura bound his hands and feet with ropes.

"What are you doing?" Chiba cried as he struggled to break free.

Karma bent down in front of him and patted his head. "Helping a friend," he said with a cordial smile.

Gritting his teeth, Chiba wiggled his arms and legs in vain. He eventually decided to give up as Okajima and Kimura heaved his weight up.

They carried him to the car that Karma has borrowed from his parents. Chiba was placed in the back with Okajima while Kimura took the front.

Meanwhile, Karma went back to the café shop. He told Tachibana that Chiba had to leave because of an emergency and that he was just there to pick up his stuff for him.

She looked friendly and accepting at the news, but deep inside she was feeling humiliated that Chiba left her like that.

"Wait," she called out after Karma had turned his back with Chiba's things.

"Who's prettier – me or Chiba-kun's girlfriend?"

The red head plastered on a smile. "I would say it's you but that doesn't change the fact that you have no chance in the first place –" then his eyes on her became icy-cold and intimidating "– so if I were you, I will stop whatever it is you are doing."

Her mouth fell open. _What a nerve!_ She clenched her teeth as she begrudgingly watched him walk away.

  
  


* * *

The sound of alarm jolted Hayami awake. She reached out for her phone on the bedside table when she felt a sudden throbbing in her head. Memories of her drunken behavior earlier flashed in her mind, filling her with embarrassment and regret.

After turning off the alarm, she saw that the time was 11:50 pm.

_Has he gotten back?_

She carefully got off the bed. When she had opened the door, the sight in the living room completely caught her off guard.

On the couch, Chiba was tied up with a blue ribbon on his head. He looked drained and was too sleepy that it took him seconds to notice her presence.

"Nakamura and Karma," he said with a hint of annoyance.

That was enough to explain his current situation.

Since she was still a little messed up from the drinking, she was having a hard time wrapping her head around this. That's why she could only come up with an "Oh".

"Please untie me," he begged, the desperation in his voice making her smile in amusement.

She went to sit beside him and undid his feet. When she moved on to his hands, she noticed a note hanging around his neck. It read:

⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢  
 _Happy Birthday, Rinka._

 _This is for you. Enjoy <3_  
⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣ _  
_

"I'm sorry I didn't prepare anything for you," he said.

She placed both of her hands at either side of him on the couch. Then she leaned closer to him, the smell of alcohol wafting his face. "You know I don't need a present," she murmured no sooner than her lips grazed his jaw, then, his mouth.

He tilted downwards to deepen the kiss and to gain entrance into her mouth. She let out a moan just as her fingers made contact with the rope around his wrists.

She tore herself away from him and glanced down. "Your hands..." She went to finish untying them while he buried his face on her shoulder.

She froze when she had felt him snogging the side of her neck. It had been a while since they became this physical so Chiba was extremely thirsty at the moment.

When his hands had been set free, they snuck inside her shirt right away, caressing her belly before reaching her breasts. She sucked in a breath as her hands gripped his hair to push his head further to her chest, his hair tickling her skin.

Then when the morning had arrived, Hayami received a LINE message from Karma after their breakfast,

_You are welcome ;)_

🐘

 _Please don't forget to_ _share_ _your comments down below._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on Tumblr - @misslindy - to become updated with my announcements and writing journey. You may also follow my other blog - @mhyraboo - for more Assassination Classroom/Chibahaya content!


	38. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟑𝟒

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may FEAR less." - Marie Curie

【Ｆｅａｒ】

_𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞_

Hayami has just left her part-time job when she checked her phone. She has a message from her boyfriend, which stated that he would be coming home late again tonight. He was in the library of the university doing their thesis project with his partner.

After her birthday, they reverted to barely spending time together. The only instances they have to bond would be the occasional chances to eat together during a meal.

She understood that priorities have to be made. Besides, it would only be months away since they would graduate. By then, they could make up for their lack of quality time in their fourth year.

That's why she was fine.

Then she thought of taking this opportunity to surprise him at the campus. She took the bus and walked from the bus stop.

Gazing up at the cloudy night sky sprinkled with a few stars, her mind wandered to their camping trip on the island where he had shown her a mesmerizing view of the lagoon, the stars, and the fireflies.

It'd be nice if they could go back there.

When she had turned the corner, she stopped short upon seeing Chiba's back in her direction as he faced his partner, Akiko Tachibana. They seemed to be talking when Tachibana threw her arms around him and closed the distance between their faces.

It was like time had turned frozen. Hayami's eyes widened as she held her silver bracelet before turning away and going back to where she had come from.

Her thoughts were completely wrapped by the scene she had witnessed – Chiba kissing another girl. Or so it seemed. She knew that he would not do such a thing and that he has a perfectly reasonable explanation for it.

And yet, she couldn't help but feel the sting in her chest.

She rode inside the bus and unconsciously stepped off at a familiar stop. She let her legs bring her to where her instincts have been telling her - 

**𝑀𝒾𝒹𝓃𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝒞𝒶𝒻é 𝐵𝒶𝓇**

She entered the room as she continued to stare ahead. She took a seat on the stool right beside the bar counter when the bartender appeared before her.

"I thought you already went home."

She raised her head and saw her boss, Ueda, giving her a soft smile. "Give me something strong," she requested with a blank look.

A few moments after, a margarita glass was placed on her spot. "This one's on the house."

"Thank you." She lifted the drink to her lips when she realized that she wouldn't be able to go home if she got drunk. But then, the image of _him_ and _her_ popped inside her head.

> _"– we know that our feelings could change someday."_

She closed her eyes as she gulped it down like it was water. Ueda simply watched her quietly.

She ordered another drink.

"How do you know if a person doesn't want you anymore?" she asked in a meek voice.

Somehow, he knew what this was about especially upon gazing at her fingers fiddling with the letter 'R' on her wrist. "The best thing would be to talk to that person," he answered.

Her mouth curved down as she said, "But it's scary!"

The sudden increase in her voice made him jump. When she had begun sobbing, the other customers gave her odd looks.

After all these years, this was Ueda's first time seeing her like this. Who would've thought that she was weak against alcohol? That would explain her unwillingness to drink whenever he went out for dinner with his employees.

"Hey." His hands waved about, not knowing what to do. He sighed and, then, turned to his fellow bartender.

"I leave you in charge. I'll be out for a moment," he told him.

The bartender nodded and replied with a "Yes".

Ueda walked out of the counter and went to get his jacket. Afterward, he approached Hayami, who was still crying. He took her bag as he said, "Let me take you home."

She glanced at him, blinking wearily. "Ueda-san..." With that, she heaved off the seat and followed him out of the door.

Their walk consisted of Ueda listening to Hayami sharing the moments she had with her friends in Class 3-E. Then she mentioned how she missed Korosensei and how he could've been giving her some wise advice about her trouble right now.

_Trouble?_

She paused, feeling herself sobering up. Ueda gave her a look but didn't ask. He knew better than to interrupt someone else's train of thought.

What exactly was troubling her? What she saw earlier or something else?

She continued walking when the answer came to her like lightning. This wasn't about Chiba at all. She believed him when he told her that his feelings should not be taken lightly.

In fact, she was afraid. To be left behind by everyone.

Each of them in that class has their desired career path. Nakamura wanted to be a diplomat, Kurahashi a veterinarian, Yada a fashion designer, and Chiba... he was dedicated to becoming an architect.

As for her, she has only been going with the flow since junior high, without a clue as to what she wanted for her future. Graduating high school and, at the present, almost finishing college – what was it she was trying to achieve?

What if she wasn't able to find out what she wanted to do in her life? Would she become isolated by everybody? By _him_?

When she had seen _him_ with another _girl_ , her fear became more real.

Ueda noticed her right hand clasping her left arm. "You know, I plan to close the café bar next year and move out of here," he proclaimed.

Her head whirled in his direction with a questioning look.

"I want to go on a vacation in the meantime, and it's been dangerous for me to stay here anyway," he explained.

 _Dangerous_ – she remembered the several dangers they have encountered in Class 3-E. The thrill she felt as she faced the hurdles with her friends, especially with her sniping partner.

At that time, it was natural for her and Chiba to be together. They studied and trained together, and even went out on dates. Not only they were classmates and friends, but they were also partners who would help each other out and compensate for the other's weaknesses. Being by his side, working together, felt so right that it made her complete.

How she missed all of those.

Regaining her composure, she asked, "Where will you go, Ueda-san?"

He felt relieved seeing her back to her usual self. "Probably in Korashiki," he replied.

"That's a nice place to go to."

"Why don't you come with me?" he proposed with his face solemn and sincere.

Although he didn't have a drink, he still went under the influence of his feelings for her. Since he was about to leave this place, he deemed it right to bring them to the surface and let her know. Take a risk so he could finally have closure.

At first, she didn't understand what he was trying to convey. That's why he bent down and stole a peck on her forehead.

Then he followed it with, "Let's go to Korashiki and live together. I can make you happy."

She stared at him looking aghast as her hand raised to her forehead where his mouth touched. Before she could say anything though, a hand had yanked Ueda away from her.

* * *

"Am I not pretty enough for you?"

Chiba halted and turned over his shoulder. His thesis partner, Tachibana, was looking at him frustratingly.

A short while ago, she offered him to stay at her place tonight since it was already late. Also, her condo unit was just a walk away from the campus. And yet, he declined so politely that it made her lose her cool.

"I think you're beautiful, Tachibana-san."

His casual reply infuriated her all the more. "You are such an idiot," she blurted.

Without adieu, she wrapped her arms around his neck, lifting her heels off the ground. Thanks to his reflexes, his hand was able to fly over his mouth. She ended up kissing his hand instead.

When she had opened her eyes, her face turned red from embarrassment. She detached herself from him.

"Stop messing around, Tachibana-san. I told you that I'm already seeing someone," he said.

"I wasn't –" She shut her mouth. What was it she was going to say? That she was serious about what she did?

 _'Of course not! There's no way I like this guy!'_ she yelled inside her head.

"I'll see you tomorrow." With that, he left her there confused.

But when he had arrived at the apartment, he was surprised to find that Hayami hasn't gone back yet. Her shift was supposed to end already and if it somehow got extended, she would have sent him a message.

He decided to wait for her by watching TV. Thirty minutes have already passed but she was still not home. Not even a message from her.

He picked up his phone beside him on the couch and called her number. She didn't answer even on his third try. He, then, asked Ritsu for her location. He was relieved to know that she was at her workplace.

Although when he was on his way there to pick her up, he became stupefied to see Ueda landing a kiss on his girlfriend's forehead. He marched towards them, feeling his blood boil, before wrenching the man away.

"Don't touch my girlfriend," he gnarled.

Ueda raised his hands and backed away. Chiba swirled in Hayami's direction, grabbing her wrist and tugging her with him. They kept on walking for a few minutes until,

"You drank, didn't you?"

Hayami warily gazed behind his raven hair, sensing his anger. "You can tell?" she asked.

Slowing down his pace, he said, "Mm. Your cheeks are still red."

She stayed quiet as she stared down at his hand gripping her arm.

"Why?"

She looked up and saw him stealing a glance. "Remember the career consultation we had in junior high?"

He didn't respond so she continued, "When I went to your university and saw you with Tachibana-san, I realized that I still haven't made up my mind about my career."

His feet broke into a halt. Facing her, he uttered, "You went there? How come I –"

"That's because it looked like you were kissing so I left."

His mouth gaped. He released his hold on her as she showed him a sad smile. "You're mistaken," he took a step closer, "Nothing happened. I used my hand to block the kiss."

She broke into a chuckle. "I trust you. I know that you wouldn't do that or lie to me," she said after.

He let out a sigh of relief.

Looking ahead the street wistfully, she took a step forward. "Besides, I found out that I actually don't care what job I will take –" her eyes darted at him "– as long as I get to be together with you."

Maybe that's just what she wanted in her life – to be by _his_ side and to support _him_ whenever he needed it. She'd be fine working anywhere as long as she could remain to be _his_ partner.

A smile hovered on the edge of his lips when he pulled her into a hug. "I also want that," he whispered in her ear.

Closing her eyelids, her arms climbed on his back as she hummed her reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.


	39. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟑𝟓

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "TALK without effort is nothing." - Maria W. Stewart

【Ｔａｌｋ】

_𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞_ _  
_

_So much for closure._

If Chiba hadn't been there at that moment, he could have gotten his answer last night although he knew that it would not be a good one. Life really wants to play games on you especially when it comes to love.

Instead of opening the café bar, Ueda reserved this day to hunt in the wild. He was preparing his bag for the trip when his buzzer to the door went off.

He opened it and was caught off guard to see his visitor – Hayami.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you on your day off –" her eyes chanced upon his backpack on the couch, an indication that he was about to go out "– but can we talk?"

He invited her inside. They proceeded to the living area with Hayami taking the couch.

"Do you want a drink?" he asked.

"No, thank you. This will be quick."

Sitting down on the sofa perpendicular to her, he took regard for her outfit. She was wearing a navy blue blazer over a beige-colored turtleneck with black pants.

"You look nice," he commented.

"I have a presentation in class later," she said, then, added it with, "I want to thank you for looking after me last night. Also –" she blinked as she gathered what she wanted to say "– I'm afraid I will have to decline your invitation."

He smiled to himself. "I'm not surprised." Still, his shoulders drooped as his heart felt heavy. At least he tried.

"If you want to fire me, that's okay with me."

He gave her a look of disbelief. "I'm not going to do that," he retorted. "I don't mix my personal life with my business work, Hayami."

"Of course." She stood up as she shouldered her bag. "Well, thank you for your time." Then she gave him a polite smile before heading to the door.

He followed behind and held the door open for her. She nodded at him gratefully.

"See you tomorrow, then," he uttered.

Looking over her shoulder, she said, "See you, Ueda-san."

Just like that, it was time for him to look forward and move on. As his final target taught him, there were still other colors to see. That, of course, included falling in love.

But, because of the sudden visit, he was no longer in the mood to go for a hunt. He chose to wander around town instead to make the most of this place.

When he had gone to the mall, he was once again shocked to see a tall raven-haired man went out of the bookstore. Their eyes locked (or so he thought since the bangs were in the way) and the man named Chiba shared his reaction.

Life was really making a fool out of him.

"Are you by yourself?" he asked.

"Yes."

His gaze fell to the brown bag clutched on Chiba's side. "So you read books," he pointed.

Chiba shifted uncomfortably. "Sometimes –" there was a momentarily pause "– although this one's for Rinka. She asked me to buy it for her."

"I see," Ueda said with a nod when an idea struck in his mind.

"What do you say we have a go at the shooting arcade?"

* * *

Across each other, they aimed at the targets with airsoft rifle guns. Ueda hit the bullseye thrice in a row, while Chiba had to take two tries before finally hitting the center of the target.

"Not bad," the former assassin remarked as he stared at the three holes on the target, the first two near the bullseye.

"You're the one who made the direct hit on the first try," Chiba replied bitterly.

Ueda chuckled as he positioned the gun against his shoulder and peered through the scope. "That's because I still have my practice from my hunting hobby."

Chiba did the same, now shooting perfectly at all of his targets. Afterward, he said, "I heard that you are leaving."

"Yeah. I'm not sure if I'll be coming back."

"That's a relief."

This made Ueda laugh. "Figured you'd think that way." He was aware that he deserved that since he made a move on his girlfriend recently. He got to admit that the kiss wasn't necessary; it was simply at the heat of the moment.

Chiba stopped firing and faced Ueda. "But it still makes me upset at the thought of not seeing someone you know again."

Ueda immediately knew who he was referring to. He kept hitting the target until there were only bits of the cardboard left.

It somehow felt surreal that he would be leaving his old days behind totally this time. No more about his previous profession as an assassin or about the students from his last job. He would be another person again – with a new identity – and this time, there could be no attachments from his past.

"Who knows, maybe we can see each other by chance although, by then, I will have a different name," he later said.

"Maybe." After reloading his gun, Chiba readied his finger on the trigger and, then, pulled it.

🐘

𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last two episodes are not about the love clashes involving Ueda and Tachibana. It's focused on discovering what you really want. We have Hayami who already knew what she wants in the future but doesn't realize it until a trigger came. Then there's Tachibana who thought she knew what she wants when in fact she doesn't. Ueda, on one hand, knows who is it that he wants but won't be able to get her as she already likes someone else. Still, he doesn't give up on finding his own happiness someday. 
> 
> As for Chiba, he's the center of the other three's desires, if you'd noticed. Hayami wants to be with him. Tachibana wants him to fall for her although she has fallen for him instead. Lastly, Ueda couldn't get the person he wants because of him. 
> 
> Not only that, he is what you call who already has it together. He is currently studying Architecture to pursue his dream career and he has Hayami, who is his partner and whom he likes. In other words, he knows the things that he wants and both are in his grasp. 
> 
> So that's the theme of the final arc. There is still one episode left before this book ends. It will wrap up Chiba and Hayami's chapter of their high school and college life. 
> 
> Thank you for reading Book 2 of BTF so far! See you in the last episode! 


	40. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟑𝟔

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "ADULTS are only kids grown up." -Walt Disney

【Ａｄｕｌｔｓ】

**－ ＭＡＲＣＨ １２ －**   
_𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞_

It has been seven years since the night when they killed their precious teacher. Time flew by so fast when you've only been looking forward as you grew up. But for Akari Yukimura, or rather Kaede Kayano, their junior high selves would always remain in their hearts.

In front of the old school building of Kunugigaoka Junior High, Kayano sowed into the ground a floral plant. After that, she put her palms together and expressed her prayers. She thanked her older sister, Aguri, and her teacher, Korosensei, for watching over them all this time. She also greeted Korosensei for his birthday today.

Wherever they were right now, she hoped that they were happy together.

"Yo, Queen of the Morning Dramas."

Turning over her shoulder, her face brightened at the sight of her classmates in Class 3-E, who have grown as adults, walking up the slope. "Guys!" she blurted.

She would be lying if she said that she didn't miss them. It had been years since she last went here due to her busy schedule from her acting career. That's why she didn't regret sneaking out from her shoot, which would explain why she was still wearing her costume.

No sooner than that, they began their cleaning. Each of them did their own role diligently just as they had before as a class. This included Chiba, who inspected the building structure, and Hayami, who helped in the repairs.

As for the others, they couldn't come for they were held up by their future endeavors. Takebayashi became a medical researcher instead of his original aim to become a doctor. Currently, he was working on a research project with Okuda, who was a chemist. Sugino, known as the _Slimy Pitcher_ , was now the ace of his college baseball team. Then there's Terasaka, who started working for an influential political figure. It was likely that he would work as a private secretary after graduating from university.

And the list went on. Everyone has really been striving to improve their selves and pursue their career goals.

When afternoon had arrived, they washed the exterior walls. Okajima, with his coltish disposition, splashed Kayano a handful of water. She took her revenge by blasting him with the hose. Afterward, the rest followed the example and started sharing laughs.

The stoic couple looked at each other. They knew by then that they have to join in on the fun. And so, they jogged towards the others and participated in the water fight.

"So, Kayano –" Hara had drawn in closer before casting a smirk on her face "– how's it going with Nagisa? Have you been keeping in touch?"

Bashful at the innuendo of that question, Kayano replied meekly, "I'm pretty sure I'm just an afterthought for him."

"You should assert yourself more!" Hara berated.

Kayano simply laughed when Kataoka, overhearing their conversation, approached them.

"Hara, you will be marrying Yoshida soon, right?" the class rep asked.

Hara scratched her cheek with a slight blush. "Yes, that's why it's been getting hectic with the wedding preparations," she said. Not to mention she has an online handcrafts business to manage.

"I'm happy for you, Hara!" Kayano exclaimed.

"Congratulations," said Kataoka.

With a smile, Hara told them her thanks.

After finishing their task, they went inside to change into dry clothes. The girls continued their gossiping in the classroom. This time, Yada, Fuwa, and Hayami were with them.

They talked about Kataoka's startup career in modeling. She just had her first photoshoot in a women's fashion magazine. Not only that, after starting his own fair trade enterprise, Isogai finally asked Kataoka to be his girlfriend.

For Fuwa, she was currently a journalist in a prominent publication company that also publishes manga novels. She said that she was working on a manga work that she would present to her superior.

Yada became a fashion designer and was seeing someone she met at work. She also hoped that she would get to be in charge of Kataoka's wardrobe in at least one of her photo sessions someday.

Lastly, Hayami was still working part-time in the café bar. Her college graduation was a week away from now – same as Chiba although on different consecutive days. It was no surprise that the two were still together; Kayano and the rest even found it admirable that the couple has been at it for seven years already.

"You and Chiba still living together in Meguro City?" Hara queried.

Hayami nodded in reply.

"That means that you went here by train. That's quite a trip," Kataoka remarked.

"It's no big deal," Hayami said. "It was like going out sightseeing for us." Besides, when it came to this class, she and Chiba would endure anything no matter how tedious it was.

* * *

Earlier this morning, Chiba woke up from the alarm on his phone. He propped his arm up and switched it off before turning around to see her missing figure on the bed.

He started putting on his clothes when he saw her bra and pants scattered on the floor, followed by hearing noises coming from the kitchen.

He came out of his room and went straight to the table where Hayami had begun to set their meal and tableware. She gave him a soft smile before taking a seat across him.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked her.

"No."

Upon hearing her answer, he became worried. "Is it because of –?"

"How would I if I find it pleasing to watch you sleep instead? You looked so peaceful, I couldn't help it."

The chopsticks on his fingers clattered to the table as a blush tinted his cheeks.

She stifled a giggle before continuing, "Were you really that exhausted from last night? Even though you were the one who –?"

With one hand covering his red-beet face, he raised his other one to stop her from talking further. "Don't remind me about that, okay? I don't know what came to me that time," he said.

Her smile widened. "Why not? You clearly enjoyed doing it to me," she teased.

Shivers ran down his back because, truth be told, she was right. Although it was shameful for him to admit that.

After eating breakfast and getting dressed, they headed to the train station. For this day, they were especially quiet as they sat side by side on the train. Not even a single word could be heard from either of them. Instead, they relished on this day – _his_ birthday and also _his_ death anniversary.

Recalling their memories with _him_ , their thoughts drifted to their former classmates on how each and every one, including themselves, was walking on separate roads to their career goals. And yet, they knew that the bond they have shared would always remain intact as they continued to grow older.

If Korosensei were here, he would tell them something along the lines of: _"If you chose it, it must be the right path for you."_ No matter where the path they took leads them, the lessons they have learned from that heartfelt experience for one year will surely guide them – how to live their lives and how to overcome the obstacles that would get in their way.

Living with pride, living with compassion, living by sharing, and living for the next generation... in hopes that all of those ideals would be passed down in any shape or form.

When they had arrived at Kunugigaoka Station, they intertwined their hands as they boarded off the train. Walking further, they noticed Yada waving at them from afar with the others.

"Oh. We're at the ticket gate," said Chiba.

Hayami waved back, the corners of her mouth tugged up. "Apparently, everyone's here already."

For the seventh time, they would be coming back to that place where they had met their precious teacher and friends. It was also where their relationship as partners was set in motion.

"Yeah," he replied.

Then she pulled her hand away from his grasp to meet with their friends. 


	41. ░ 𝕆𝕦𝕥𝕣𝕠 ░

◈◈◈

Figures in black dominated the outside of the ceremony hall. A pair of eyes hidden beneath his raven fringe swept the area until it landed on his family looking at him, together with his girlfriend.

A smile made its way on his face as he crossed the distance between them amidst the sea of graduates and their loved ones. When he had stopped before them, he showed off his diploma, causing his mother to become teary-eyed.

She, then, enclosed her arms around him, which he returned with an arm across her back.

"We're proud of you," she uttered no sooner than his father telling him, "Congratulations, son."

Today, he officially became part of society. He would have to look for a job, earn a living, and...

He expressed his gratitude before his gaze made its way towards Hayami, who was smiling wholeheartedly at him. "We did it," she said.

...perhaps form a family of his own.

He hummed with a nod.

As for Hayami, her graduation was yesterday. He attended the ceremony along with her aunt, but they weren't able to hold a celebration after since the person watching over her aunt's pet cat was only available until the afternoon.

"Alright, let's take a picture!" Hitomi, who was now in middle school, exclaimed.

Chiba moved closer to Hayami, while his parents positioned themselves on his other side. Hitomi did a countdown before taking the shot with a camera.

After that, she took out her phone and raised it as she yelled out a "Group selfie!"

"Let's also take one with only the two of you," Mrs. Chiba then suggested to the couple.

Ryuunosuke Chiba kept his hair over the years as the way it was when he was in junior high. He also got a lot taller than back then, retaining his lean form, while his jawline became sharp.

Standing beside him was Rinka Hayami with orange-brown waves cascading her back, which were once tied into pigtails when they had been shorter. She still has her keen emerald gaze and her slender build. Her height has increased slightly above Chiba's shoulders.

They matured a lot both physically and mentally. For Chiba, Hayami became refined than ever when it came to her looks and gracefulness. Not only that, she was now comfortable with striking up a conversation and prolonging it thanks to her part-time jobs.

For Hayami, Chiba has gained more confidence in himself, making her hold him in higher regard than before. He even learned to be assertive when it came to the things that he wanted unlike before when he would usually keep it to himself. Despite other people's criticisms of his hairstyle, she still found him attractive with or without his bangs covering half of his face.

Before Hitomi could capture the photo, a strong wind had howled by, along with the cherry petals, blowing away Hayami's long wavy hair and Chiba's toga. Hayami tried to hold her hair down, while Chiba kept the cap on his head from flying away. They shared a look with laughing smiles on their faces.

At that exact moment, with pink blossoms fluttering around them, Hitomi had pressed the button.

The sniper couple has faced everything together as friends, partners, and lovers. They graduated from junior high, then high school, and now college. With that, one question lingered in their minds –

_What's next?_

◈◈◈


	42. 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝

The second book of **Being Together Forever** has officially ended. A lot of emotions are involved once again since I now have two completed works, and the theme of this book is actually personal to me.

First of all, I want to express my deep gratitude to the readers of this story. Thank you for reading since the first book of this trilogy, and for all your votes and comments. I admit that there are still improvements to be made in my writing, so thank you for bearing with my shortcomings.

As I have mentioned in my last author's note, the final arc of this story is about 'something that one wants'. But even the first two arcs also share a similar theme albeit presented in a different manner.

In the **Breakup Arc** , it is focused on the present time of our favorite couple. The two knew what it is they want (each other) at that time, but they both made the mistake of letting it go just because they have other things that they ought to prioritize. Although giving priority to relevant aspects of your life is significantly important, it doesn't mean that you have to sacrifice the one thing that you hold dear or you are passionate about. That's why maintaining balance and making compromises is a thing.

And that's what they did in the **Back-to-Partners Arc**. Having learned their lesson, they did everything they could to find time to spend together. Hayami chose a university that is within proximity to Chiba's choice of school, and Chiba even proposed to live together in college. On one hand, Hayami lost her mother, which tells us that sometimes we might lose our loved ones or the things that we want. There's no guarantee that that won't happen no matter what we do. Regardless, we must not give up fighting for what we want. We must not let these downfalls in life waver us.

Remember Izumi Miyamoto, Chiba's ex-girlfriend in high school? She is aware that she wanted to be with Chiba but has accepted that is possible only for the short term. The same goes for Red Eye (or Ueda) and Tachibana in the **Grown Up Arc**. Again, sometimes some things won't go in our way. I'm not sure though if it's because your efforts are not enough or it's just not meant for you. Based on my experience, if there is something that I couldn't attain no matter what I do, I will stop for a moment and review my methods and also assess if the thing that I'm pursuing after is what I really want.

On that note, Tachibana in my story is that someone who thought knew what she wants when in fact she didn't. She has been trying to get Chiba to look at her. She thought that it's all for the sake of her pride, but it's actually because she has come to like him for real.

The same thing could happen to anyone including you. That's why we should take a moment to pause and rethink what we're currently doing. Who knows, you might find out that what you're doing is not effective or that what you want is something else.

Despite already being in college, Hayami is still confused about her future career path. That dilemma is normal and understandable since it is not always that you get to figure out immediately what you want. I know very well the feeling of getting left behind by everyone when it comes to progressing in their career. On Hayami's part, it took a trigger to realize what she wants to do in the future. And, it didn't involve getting an ideal career or following her passion. What she wants is to remain to be with her partner, Chiba.

Being smitten that much with a boy might not sound like her but that is how I perceived her character when it comes to her relationship with Chiba. I think that she is not the ambitious type to have a specific career goal. For her, just being able to get things done and being able to sustain her needs is enough as long as she gets to do what she wants.

The troubles that these characters have faced are what I have experienced in my college as well. Like them, I have my share of mistakes from which I have gained many lessons. I thought that mixing my experience with this story would bring substance and make it meaningful.

About the ending or the outro, I want to show you my theory about the "holding hand scene" in the manga – that the ones holding hands in that panel are Chiba and Hayami. I have many arguments to prove that speculation but that would take a lot to write in here, so I'll post it on my Tumblr instead. Also, I used some of the dialogues in the manga here in my story for consistency.

Although it has been a nice experience for me to write the first and second books of Being Together Forever, I have decided to take a break before I start writing the third book. I don't know when I will exactly start publishing Book 3, since I'll be focusing on my entrance exams for law school next month. We also have to take into account that I will first draft the storyline of the book before writing it. 

At most, I will be making my return by next month. For those who are reading The Tales of End Kingdom, I'm not sure if I'll still be able to continue that right now or I'll continue that together with Book 3 of BTF. If I have time, I can begin working on the next chapter but I can't make any promises. 

For now, I'll proofread Being With You and make revisions since I've found some errors in my writing when I started re-reading it recently. 

I'll make sure that the third book will be good as the first and second book (if not better). There's actually a lot to look forward to in the story of Chiba and Hayami after college. I already have a rough sketch of the plot inside my mind.

I hope that you, dear readers, have enjoyed this book as much as you have in **Being With You.** It will really make me happy if you'll still be here to read my next work when I come back. It might take a while but I promise that the last book of the trilogy will happen. That's why I want to ask for your patience and understanding.

_See you in Book 3 – **Forever With You**!_

Stay safe everyone.

Sincerely,   
Ⓛⓘⓝⓓⓨ Ⓖⓐⓛⓔ


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